Mother Dearest
by Lauryn1
Summary: There's been a murder, but the case isn't as easy to solve as first imagined. Can you figure out who the culprit is? *FINAL CHAPTER POSTED*
1. Murder Victim

(Unlike my other fanfics, this is NOT a humor fic. Surprising, eh? I hope you'll enjoy it anywayz though.)  
  
  
"Goten!! Hurry up and get dressed! Your breakfast is getting cold!" The sixteen-year-old demi-Saiyajin moaned in annoyance and promptly buried his head under his pillow in an attempt to muffle the screams of his mother, who, by the tone of her voice, seemed particularly grumpy this morning. A few blissful moments of silence drifted by, moments that seemed like only seconds before the tranquility was shattered. Goten nearly fell out of bed as ChiChi burst through the bedroom door, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Didn't you hear me??!! I said your breakfast is getting cold!! Now hurry up before your father eats it!" The teenager mumbled under his breath as he lazily ran his fingers through his tangled hair and slowly made his way to his dresser. He frowned as he opened the drawer and glanced back at his mother, who was glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "I'm up! You don't have to watch me!" ChiChi's expression hardened a bit after catching the look her son threw her. "This attitude of yours has got to stop, Goten! Gohan was never like this when he was a teenager! I think that punk friend of yours is a bad influence!" "Trunks has nothing to do with the way I act!" the demi-Saiyajin spat, his hands fisting in the shirt he was holding. ChiChi crossed her arms and tapped her foot in annoyance. "Then what? What's making you act this way?? It's your father isn't it? His wild nature is---" "IT'S YOU!" Goten suddenly shouted, causing his mother to nearly jump out her skin. She stared at him through wide eyes for a moment before turning and walking out the door, slamming it behind her as she went. Goten just snorted angrily and turned back to his dresser.  
  
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Goku raised an eyebrow as his wife stormed into the kitchen, ranting about something under her breath. "What's wrong? Is Goten still asleep?" The woman came to a sudden halt and spun around to glare at the Saiyajin, who was clearly surprised by the fiery look in her eyes. "No! He is NOT still asleep! But he IS coughing another attitude with me! There's no excuse for it! I realize teenagers have mood swings, but this is ridiculous!" Goku watched ChiChi as she turned away from him and began to slice some vegetables for a dish she was preparing. "He's not the only one who has mood swings..." he mumbled. "What?" the woman asked, glancing back at the Saiyajin as she paused from cutting. "Oh, nothing..."  
  
ChiChi was about to resume her work when Goten walked into the room and sat down next to Goku, who was currently wolfing down his breakfast. He only paused long enough to smile at his son before continuing his attack on the scrambled eggs that were quickly disappearing from his plate. Goten smirked and picked up his fork before digging into his breakfast as well, which had been sitting on the table waiting for him. ChiChi scrunched her nose up a bit as she looked between the two. Goten's hair may be different now, but they still looked like twins while they ate. Their method was definitely the same. Shove as much food into your mouth as possible without choking. "It's your own fault if it's cold." the woman muttered. Goten rolled his eyes, but didn't look up from his plate. "It's not cold." "Don't talk with your mouth full!" she snapped back, annoyed with the tone her son was using this morning. Goku blinked when he noticed Goten's knuckles turning white as he became increasingly annoyed with his mother. If something didn't happen fast, this bickering session would turn ugly. "Uh... You wanna spar after breakfast?" Goten paused and looked at his smiling father before smiling himself. "Sure! That'd be great!" ChiChi, who had been listening from her position at the counter, clutched the knife tightly in her already firm grip and turned to her family. "Not so fast! Aren't you two forgetting something??" The two Saiyajins looked at each other for a moment, then back at the woman glaring at them. Taking their silence as a 'no', ChiChi sighed and set down her knife. "We're visiting Gohan and Videl today. So no sparring! You'll get bruised up and dirty! Videl's family might be there too and I don't want them making assumptions about us." Goku noticed the angered expression return to his son's face as he was once again denied something. "But ChiChi... Hercule already knows us and I doubt he'd care if we had a couple bruises... And Videl spars just as much a---" "NO! We're leaving now! Let's go!" ChiChi shouted as she walked to the door.  
  
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"I'm glad you came early!" Videl said happily as she invited the Son's inside. "ChiChi, I need your expertise. I attempted cooking a little something for dinner tonight and I think I might have overdone it just a tad..." "Say no more." ChiChi replied, quickly following the younger woman into the kitchen. Gohan smiled and took a seat across from the couch, where Goten was currently talking to his father in a low voice. "Something the matter?" he asked, taking notice to the sour expression his younger brother wore. "Na." Goku said. "Goten's just a little upset because ChiChi wouldn't let us spar before we came." "It's more than that!" the youngest Saiyajin snapped, folding his arms angrily. "Mom's too strict! She's always on my back and always has something negative to say to me! How'd you manage to live with her?!" he asked, looking over at his older brother. Gohan looked at Goten in slight surprise before he seemed to blank out. His eyes almost took on a glassy look. Goku and Goten glanced at each other. "Gohan? Earth to Gohan..." The demi-Saiyajin blinked and jumped slightly at the sound of his father snapping his fingers. "Oh! Sorry! Let's see... Well I don't know. You just have to understand that she's looking out for your best interest. I don't think she's trying to upset you, but yelling and nagging is just mom's way of showing that she cares... I guess." Goten nodded slowly as he considered the words carefully. "I suppose that makes sense... but I still don't like her methods."  
  
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ChiChi examined the charcoal black roast that was currently steaming on the counter. "A 'little' burnt, eh?" Videl chuckled nervously and rung a dishtowel as she bit her lower lip. "Do you think you can save it?" The older woman straightened and rubbed her chin as if in deep thought. "Well there seem to be plenty of juices left... and if we scrape the burnt parts off, then maybe we can still salvage something..." "Great! We probably don't need it since I have dozens of others for tonight's dinner, but I like to be prepared." Videl explained. ChiChi glanced back at the remaining uncooked roasts. "Maybe I should cook those..." The younger woman just nodded and stepped aside. "Point taken."  
  
The two women, well... ChiChi, had been busy cooking for an hour or so while Videl provided a nice conversation. The younger woman noticed that ChiChi had had a distant expression on her face almost the entire time and decided that it was time to find out why. "Penny for your thoughts." ChiChi blinked and looked over at her before going about her kitchen duties. "Can I ask you something?" "Sure..." Videl replied. The other woman seemed to consider her words carefully before she finally spoke. "Does... does Gohan ever talk about me?" The younger woman was slightly caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?" "Has he ever mentioned how he felt about me when he was a child?" ChiChi stopped slicing some side vegetables and looked at her daughter-in-law, almost with pleading eyes. Videl studied the expression carefully before smiling in return. "Sure! He says you were a great mother! Gohan said that you were always looking out for him and trying to make him the best he could be. He wouldn't have traded you for anyone!" ChiChi sighed in relief and smiled happily. "That's good to know. So then I guess my methods aren't the reason behind Goten's anger after all." Videl nodded and picked up a knife to help with cutting the vegetables. She was glad that ChiChi was happy with her answer. It was just too bad it was a lie.  
  
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A month later...  
  
Vegeta soared over the open land that was home to his rival, muttering under his breath as he scanned the area below. He didn't like the fact that he had to fly all the way out here to practically drag the other Saiyajin out of his house to spar. It wasn't that Goku didn't want to spar, it was just the simple fact that his wife didn't want him to spar. Lately she'd been preventing her husband from coming to Capsule Corp like he normally did for a spar in the gravity room. The prince didn't understand why the baka just didn't blow the woman to the next dimension and be done with it. He didn't think anyone would really care. From what Trunks had told him, Goten despised the woman. That just goes to show that at least one of the Sons had some sense.  
  
Vegeta's thoughts were cut short when a sudden burst of ki and an ear-piercing scream caught his attention. The prince floated lower to the ground and slowly made his way to the ki he was sensing, which was quickly disappearing again. The sudden rise and fall of the energy had happened so quickly that the Saiyajin didn't even have time to figure out whom it belonged to. But he did have enough time to get the general location of the owner. Vegeta landed and walked into a wooded area, glancing around for anyone who might be around again. Whoever was here was suppressing their ki well.  
  
The prince didn't have to search long before he spotted someone. The person, who appeared to be male judging from his frame, was sitting on the ground and appeared to be holding something...or someone... Vegeta slowly and quietly advanced on the shadowed figure, trying not to draw attention to himself just yet. Something about the situation just didn't seem right and the Saiyajin wanted to get as much information on his own before he caused any reaction. The prince was no more than ten feet away when a small twig broke under his boot. He silently cursed himself for the carelessness as the figure ahead of him spun around with a startled gasp. "Goten?" Vegeta noticed the horrified look in the demi-Saiyajin's water filled eyes. His face was red and tears were shimmering on his cheeks, evidence enough that he had been crying for quite sometime. But why? The prince's eyes continued downward and finally stopped on a limp figure in the teenager's arms. His mouth dropped open slightly in a silent gasp as he realized who it was. ChiChi. He almost didn't recognize her when she wasn't screaming. However, the woman's eyes were open and expressionless and her mouth was slightly agape. And her neck... was broken.   
  
Vegeta looked between the two and put it all together. The sudden rise and fall of the ki, the scream, and now this... Goten had killed ChiChi. Goten, who knew perfectly well how this must have looked, shook his head in defiance. "N-no, Vegeta! I didn't do this! I DIDN'T KILL HER!!"  
  
  
(TO BE CONTINUED) 


	2. Suspicions

Goku stood with unseeing eyes as his wife's casket was lowered into the ground. Vegeta had told him what he had heard and seen, but he couldn't believe that it was his youngest son who had killed ChiChi. It didn't seem right. Goku glanced up and looked at Goten, who was standing with his head bowed to the ground, though his shoulders shook slightly from crying. The Saiyajin looked back down at the casket, which was covered in flowers. Clearly Goten was upset about this. That's not the usual feelings of a murderer. 'He's acting. The evidence is all there, Kakarotto! Don't let your feelings get in the way of the truth.' Vegeta's words echoed in Goku's mind, leaving the Saiyajin feeling torn. It was true. The evidence was all there, but the prince had even admitted that he wasn't positive that it was Goten's ki he had felt surge shortly before he heard ChiChi scream. So that means there was a chance that his son was innocent. And taking chances was what Goku was all about.   
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An hour later, the funeral was drawn to a close. The weather matched everyone's mood perfectly. The sky was clouded over and gray, and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Almost everyone had either left, or retreated to a building not too far off to wait out the storm that was approaching. Only Goku and Goten were left standing by the fresh grave covered in flowers. A flash of lightning followed by a low rumble of thunder caused Goku to snap out of his train of thought. He glanced up at his son, who was staring blankly at the grave in front of him with tears in his eyes. Part of him wanted to comfort him, like any father should in a situation like this. But another part of him wanted to point at him and call him a murder. As awful as that might seem, he couldn't help but feel that his son was responsible for the death of his wife. Who else was there to blame? He doubted ChiChi broke her own neck.   
Pushing his negative feelings aside, Goku took a deep breath and approached his son. It had started to drizzle a few minutes earlier and he was sure they'd both be soaked in a couple more minutes. With a slight bit of hesitation, the Saiyajin placed his hand on the other's shoulder. "Goten. It's going to storm. Come inside." The demi-Saiyajin glanced toward the building across the cemetery where some people were gathered. Even at the distance he was at, his Saiyajin eyes could see Vegeta glaring at him accusingly. He then looked at Goku, who was also looking over at the prince. "Don't worry about what he thinks. He's just going by what he saw..." "He thinks he saw me murdering my own mother." Goten snapped. Goku rubbed the back of his head, making it obvious that he was nervous. "Yeah.. but you have to admit that... You know... It kinda looked---" "Like I murdered my mother?! Is that what you think too?! I may not have liked her very much, but I would NEVER do anything like that!!" Before Goku could respond, Goten pushed his hand off his shoulder and took off into the sky with a blast of ki, leaving his rather stunned father behind.   
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A month later...   
Bulma smiled to herself as she finished setting up the last of the platters full of food. Things had been a little tense since ChiChi's death and she wanted to attempt to get things back to normal again. At least as normal as things could get without ChiChi yelling in the background.   
Bulma jumped as the doorbell rang and popped a chip into her mouth before heading toward the door. "I got it." Trunks called as he rushed past his mother to answer the door. Bulma looked at her seventeen-year-old thoughtfully, wondering if he had seen Goten much lately. He seemed to be pretty confident that he was coming today, so he must have been told by Goten himself. The blue-haired woman smiled as Trunks re-appeared with Gohan, Videl, Goku, and Goten not too far behind. Trunks and Goten immediately retreated upstairs while Goku waved his hand as a hello and rushed over to the food. Bulma chuckled as she motioned for Gohan and Videl to take a seat.   
"So how have you been?" Bulma asked as she handed them a couple drinks. "A little tense." Gohan admitted. "But we're getting over it." Videl nodded in agreement as she took a sip of her drink. "Things have been kind of peaceful, in my opinion." she added. Bulma was a little surprised by the statement. 'Peaceful' was the last word she'd use to describe the feelings someone felt after the death of a loved one. She looked over at Gohan for confirmation. He nodded as well. "Yeah. It may sound a little odd to you, Bulma, but if you had lived with my mother most your life, I think you'd agree that her absence isn't necessarily a bad thing." The blue-haired woman's eyes became as big as saucers as she watched the almost smiling couple. Unable to come up with words, Bulma turned to Goku, who was also staring at the two as if they'd gone crazy. He had even stopped eating, so that must mean he was clearly shocked. However, Gohan and Videl didn't even seem to notice as they munched on a few snacks that had been on the table.   
Now that Goku thought about it, he remembered that Gohan hadn't shown much emotion at ChiChi's ceremony. In fact, he thought he had heard him chuckling at one point, but when he turned to look at him, he had had an unreadable expression on his face again. This was all getting a little too confusing for him. Goku snapped out of his train of thought and looked over at Bulma. "Where's Vegeta hiding?" The woman smiled and motioned out the door. "He's training in the gravity room, as usual. Feel free to go interrupt him." "Ok, I think I will!" Goku smirked and grabbed a few more chips before heading for the gravity room.   
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Vegeta smirked in satisfaction as his fist once again made contact with Goku's jaw, sending the other Saiyajin to the ground. "Kakarotto! You're hardly a challenge for me! What's wrong with you?!" Goku slowly sat up and wiped a stream of blood from his lip. He was silent for a moment before making eye contact with the prince. "I think you're wrong." Vegeta raised an eyebrow in question. "Wrong? About what?" "Goten." he replied. The prince sighed and rubbed his temples as if he head a headache. "This again, Kakarotto? We've been through this! The evide---" "There's NO evidence!!!" Goku suddenly shouted, causing the other Saiyajin to take a step back in shock. Goku took a deep breath and lowered his voice again. "You saw him with her, Vegeta. You didn't see him kill her. For all you know he could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. You're assuming." Vegeta paced around the room a bit in annoyance. "There was no one else there! Who else could it have been?!" Goku's head suddenly snapped up, causing the prince to freeze as he saw the look on his face. "What?" "Maybe you did it, Vegeta."   
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Videl, Gohan, and Bulma had been having a quiet chat when loud shouting caught their attention. There was no need to investigate because they could hear every word. "Are you accusing me of murder??!" they heard Vegeta shout. "Why not?! You were there too! And you know what they say, Vegeta! The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!" Goku could be heard yelling. "How dare you, baka! What motive do I have?!" the prince yelled back, his voice becoming increasingly angry. "She wouldn't let me spar as often! You were always saying that I should blast her and be done with it, weren't you Vegeta?! Maybe you decided to do it for me! Anything to raise your power level a little!" "That's ridiculous!" Vegeta roared. "If I wanted to raise my power level, I would have killed YOU! Then my power level would be pretty impressive with nothing else to compare it to, right Kakarotto?! Keep this up much longer and you'll be seeing your woman real soon!" Bulma gasped as she heard a loud explosion come from the area the two Saiyajins were fighting in. A few seconds later, Goku stormed past them and stopped at the door before yelling up the stairs for Goten to come on. After the demi-Saiyajin had appeared, the two left without another word.   
Bulma, Gohan, and Videl sat in silence for a moment before they realized that there was an absence of cursing. They quickly jumped up and ran back to the gravity room, where they saw Vegeta standing with his arms folded. He looked like he had been in the sun too long. Even his hair was smoking. The prince snorted and looked at the three gawkers, then smirked. "Weak baka. I barely felt that Kamehameha wave." No sooner he had finished his sentence, Vegeta's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.   
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A couple days later...   
Vegeta listened as Trunks greeted Goten at the door and invited him inside. Lately the youngest member of the Son family had been spending a lot of time with Trunks. Apparently it was because the other teenager was the only one he felt comfortable around. The prince didn't know if it was because they'd both been friends since they were kids, or if it was because Trunks as the only one who didn't think Goten was a murderer. Or maybe he did and was just doing a good job of hiding it. Vegeta waited until Goten was inside before he approached, making sure he couldn't go anywhere to evade him. "Trunks, go in the other room. I need to talk to Goten." The purple haired Saiyajin would have protested if not for the fact his father threw him one of the most deadly glares he could muster. That was reason enough for the demi-Saiyajin to flee from the room.   
Vegeta led the nervous teenager into another room and motioned for him to sit down, which he did. "I need to know what happened that day." he said simply. "But..." "No! Do you want to be thought of as a murderer for the rest of your life or not, brat?" Goten sighed and slowly shook his head. Vegeta folded his arms and looked the teenager right in the eye. "Do you have anything to hide?" "No..." Goten answered. "Then tell me."   
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Goten angrily stormed through the forest, cursing softly under his breath. Once again his mother had denied him something he wanted to do! She wouldn't allow him to go spar with Trunks because she didn't like his attitude. Needless to say, Trunks wasn't very happy about it either judging from how he had sounded on the phone.   
Goten knew his mother was out here looking for him right now. She hadn't been thrilled when he stormed out of the house, but he couldn't stay there. He was much too angry and even the sight of her would have set him off. He didn't understand why she had to be so mean. So demanding. So... protective. The demi-Saiyajin paused in mid-stride as the thought hit him. Protective? Is that what this constant nagging was about? Protecting her youngest child? But from what?   
Suddenly, a spike of ki made Goten's hair stand on end, but not as much as the scream that followed. It was his mother! With a dash of speed, the demi-Saiyajin took off toward the fading ki, which within seconds, disappeared all together. "Mom?!" he called, reaching out his senses in the hopes he would feel her small ki. But there was nothing. Goten pushed through some bushes and froze as his eyes fell upon a body lying motionless on the forest floor. He recognized the clothes immediately and rushed over to her side. "Mom?!" he cried, dropping to his knees. His eyes widened as he got a closer look at her. ChiChi's neck was not at all in a natural position and had been violently broken. Even though he knew there was no hope, Goten searched for a pulse anyway. But as expected, there was none. Tears sprung to the teenager's eyes as he cradled the woman in his arms, gently rocking back and forth. This couldn't really be happening! Goten gasped as he heard something behind him and spun around....   
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"And then you showed up." Goten said softly, fighting desperately to fight the tears that were threatening to flow. Vegeta sat in silence, thinking about every word of the boy's story. It didn't seem to have any flaws. He'd explained that he'd felt the strange ki as well and heard the scream. On the other hand, the murderer would have known those things too. But just by looking at Goten's eyes, Vegeta knew that he couldn't possibly have been the murderer. He was convinced that he was innocent. "I'm sorry." he finally said, earning Goten's full attention. "For what?" the teenager asked. "Accusing you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly." Goten shook his head slowly. "It's ok. If I had been in your position, I probably would have assumed the same thing." A few moments of silence went by before Vegeta spoke again. "I need to ask you a difficult question." The demi-Saiyajin looked at the prince thoughtfully for a moment before nodding his head. "Who do you suspect killed your mother?" 


	3. Elimination

(Well, now that ff.net is back up, the fic can continue! Woo hoo! I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but since I can't get italics to show up, there will be a ' on each side of the sentence when someone is thinking instead of the normal ". Ok? Ok)  
  
"Kakarotto! Are you in there?!" Vegeta waited impatiently as the other Saiyajin answered the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Vegeta? Do you have any idea what time it is?" The prince looked at the still groggy Saiyajin and then glanced at the sky. "Do you? It's two in the afternoon." Goku blinked in surprise and looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh yeah... What do you want then?" he asked, stepping aside to let the other Saiyajin in. "You're not going to blast me again, are you?" Vegeta asked suspiciously as he remembered what happened last time he said something not to Goku's liking. The other Saiyajin chuckled sheepishly and shook his head. "Sorry about that. I was really... out of it that day." "Hn."   
Vegeta walked into the house before folding his arms and looking back at Goku, who was closing the door. "I was talking to Goten today." "Oh yeah? What about?" the Saiyajin asked as he flopped onto the couch. "The murder." Goku frowned slightly and looked at the prince. "You didn't accuse him again, did you? That's not what he needs ri-" "I didn't." Vegeta interrupted. "In fact, I believe he's innocent now. But he did give me an idea of who might have been involved." Goku blinked in surprise, his full attention now on the other Saiyajin. "Who?" Vegeta didn't say anything, but instead stared at him with unblinking eyes. Eventually, Goku caught on. "Oh no... You don't think.... He said I did it?!!" he cried, unsure of whether to be upset, shocked, or angry; maybe a little of all three. "He didn't name you specifically, but he did mention that you were the only other person within the area that he was aware of. A mere human couldn't have used ki like we felt and couldn't have disappeared so quickly after the murder. Even a person with exceptional ki would have trouble escaping so quickly without leaving an energy trail....unless..." "The instant transmission..." Goku finished, running his fingers through his hair in disbelief.   
The two Saiyajins sat in silence for several minutes, neither knowing what to say next. "I didn't kill her." Goku finally muttered. Vegeta regarded him carefully before an idea came to him. "Are you willing to prove it?" The other Saiyajin looked at the prince in confusion. "Of course. But how?" "If I recall correctly, you sometimes ride a ridiculous looking cloud called the Nimbus, correct?" Vegeta waited for him to nod before continuing. "And unless Bulma was lying again, you have to be pure of heart to stay on it. So if you're innocent, then you should still be able to ride it. If not, you'll fall through. I doubt you'd still be pure of heart if you murdered someone."   
The Saiyajins proceeded outside where Goku called the Nimbus. Within seconds, the fluffy golden cloud was hovering in front of him. "I still can't believe you'd even suspect me, Vegeta." he muttered before hopping up on the Nimbus. Sure enough, he landed securely without a problem. Goku was not the murderer. The prince almost sighed in relief and nodded. "That eliminates two people then. But I was really looking for a reason to kill you, Kakarotto. You've ruined my day." Goku couldn't help but crack a smile as he hopped back off the cloud. So Vegeta had a sense of humor after all.   
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"Why do you care?" Goku asked as he ate his dinner unusually slow. Vegeta looked up from his meal as well. "About what?" "Finding out who killed ChiChi." the younger Saiyajin replied. The prince tapped his fork against his chin as he thought. Why did he care? It certainly wasn't because he had cared for that woman... so why? Good question. Maybe it was because he had come so close to actually seeing the murder. Maybe he felt he owed it to the Son's to find out who murdered a member of their family, no matter how much of a banshee she was. Maybe he was turning into a soft sap. Or maybe he was just really bored and wanted to play detective. "I haven't got a clue." he finally answered. "Boredom, I guess." Goku smirked and popped some bread into his mouth. "You're lying." Vegeta blinked in surprise and looked across the table at the smirking Saiyajin, taking several minutes to figure out what he meant. Finally, it dawned on him. "Damn you and your little emotion sensing ability, Kakarotto!" Goku laughed, not having to say anything more. The prince grumbled in annoyance as the real reason became clear. He was going soft.... But he enjoyed playing detective too.   
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That night, elsewhere...   
Videl slowly opened her eyes as the sound of someone talking reached her ears. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she glanced around the dark bedroom. It finally dawned on her that the voice was none other than Gohan's, who was talking in his sleep next to her. She smirked and turned on her side, propping her head up on her arm. She loved it when he talked in his sleep. Sometimes he would mutter about little secrets that she could use to blackmail him with when the time was right. But it soon became apparent that this wasn't going to be one of those conversations.   
Videl noticed that Gohan's voice was lower and harsher than usual. And his face was tense as if he were angry about something. Yet he was definitely asleep. She listened closely as he mumbled inaudible words, occasionally picking up one or two things. Videl gasped as the demi-Saiyajin muttered a string of words that she could make out as clear as day. Without another seconds delay, she jumped out of bed, quietly dressed, and dashed out the door.   
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Goku was torn from a peaceful sleep when someone began to pound on the door. He had been dreaming about a world made of chocolate and it was all his! The Saiyajin rubbed his eyes and looked out the window to make sure it was still dark outside. Yes, he was sure it wasn't two in the afternoon this time. Goku sluggishly pulled himself out of bed and stumbled through the house toward the door and the person pounding on it. If this was Vegeta, he was really going to kill him. The Saiyajin opened the door and blinked in surprise as his eyes fell upon Videl, who was looking rather flustered. "Goku! Gohan killed her! Gohan killed ChiChi!"   
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It took Goku quite some time to calm the almost hysterical woman down to the point he could understand the words coming out of her mouth. He stared at her shaking hands as she drank a cup of tea he had given her to help calm her nerves. "You mean he told you?" he asked. "No... He was talking in his sleep. He does that sometimes, so I was listening for anything juicy..." she explained, resting her head on her hand. "Yeah..." Goku urged, wanting her to continue. "And then he started talking harshly. At first I couldn't understand him, but I caught a few words..." "What'd he say?" the Saiyajin asked, almost jumping out of his seat from anticipation. "He said, mom....hate....kill.... And he just started mumbling after that!"   
Goku rubbed his chin and stared down at the table in thought. "I don't know, Videl... That's not really enough to accuse him..." The woman chewed on her nail nervously as she stared across the table at the man. "But he's always telling me how much he hated the way ChiChi treated him when he was a kid. He said that sometimes he just felt like wringing her neck. He seemed so full of hate..." Goku blinked in surprise after hearing the new information. "Really? I knew sometimes he would be upset with her, but I didn't think he felt that strongly about it..." He studied Videl carefully, who seemed as if she were going to go out of her mind at any second. "But if it will make you feel better, I'll talk to him first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" The woman sighed in relief and smiled. "Great, thanks. Um.... Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"   
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Gohan sat at the kitchen table while he waited for Videl to show up. She had called earlier that morning to let him know that she was at his father's house, but why? Why on earth would she possibly go over there so early in the morning? Either way, she had told him that she was bringing Goku over as well when she came back, and that's another thing that confused him. If she was visiting him right now, why would she bring him here? It all seemed a little fishy to him.   
Gohan glanced up from the paper he was reading and smiled at Videl and Goku, who were both just walking into the room. It was odd though. His wife seemed very stressed out and his father had a strange look on his face; much too serious for him. Something was definitely up. "Hey guys. Care to fill me in on what this is all about?" he asked, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Videl smiled nervously and glanced at Goku, who had his normal happy expression on his face again. "Gohan, can I talk to you alone?" he asked, motioning toward the door. The demi-Saiyajin looked between the two and shrugged before getting up. "Sure."   
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Gohan landed in an open area behind his father. For some reason, Goku insisted that they get away from any distractions and so had led him away from the main part of the city. Something told him he really wasn't going to like the conversation they were about to have. His father seemed unusually tense, which was completely out of character for him.   
"What's going on?" he finally asked, breaking the silence that had lapsed between them since they left the house. Goku thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want it to sound like he was outwardly accusing his son of murdering ChiChi. "Uh... I understand that you weren't as... um... happy with your mother as most people thought..." The Saiyajin paused and glanced over at his son to check for any reaction to the statement, but there was none. "And I wanted to know how you really felt about her."   
Gohan stayed silent for a moment as he studied his father, who was fidgeting an awful lot. And he seemed to avoid eye contact as much as possible. He knew where this was going. "Are you asking me if... if I had anything to do with mom's murder?" Goku silently scolded himself for forgetting how intelligent Gohan actually was. There wasn't any beating around the bush with him. He had no choice but to be forward about this now. "....Yes, but don't get me wrong. I don't think you did it, but..." "If you don't think I did it then why are you asking me?" Gohan snapped defensively. Goku opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He was completely at a loss. This wasn't going the way he wanted it to at all. Why didn't he just call Vegeta to take care of this?   
Gohan watched Goku carefully. It was obvious that the Saiyajin seemed to be having a conversation with himself judging from the different expressions passing over his face. Maybe he shouldn't be as angry as he was right now, but honestly! He was being accused of murdering his mother! And it was obvious that Videl had something to do with this peaked interest in his involvement in the crime. But what would give her that idea? She seemed fine the day before...so... he must have been talking in his sleep again! Maybe he said something that sounded like something he didn't mean....   
"Did Videl tell you something?" the demi-Saiyajin finally asked, snapping Goku out of his daze. "What makes you think that?" he asked innocently, not wanting to pull Videl into this. Gohan just folded his arms and looked at his father with a knowing expression. Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. 'Why'd ChiChi have to make him so smart? She made solving or own murder extremely difficult.' "Well, she heard you muttering about something in your sleep last night..." "About the murder?" Gohan asked, his voice rising a little. Goku took notice to the change in volume and couldn't help but wonder if it was from the fear of getting caught, or just plain shock. "You said something about hating ChiChi... and wanting to kill her..." The demi-Saiyajin's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, no, no! That doesn't mean I killed her!" "I know, Gohan, but I just wanted to make sure---" "Make sure that I didn't kill her?! How could you even suspect me??!!" Gohan shouted as he balled his hands into fists angrily. "Calm down!" Goku cried as he felt his son's power level steadily increasing. "That's not the only reason you've raised suspicions!" The demi-Saiyajin paused for a moment before the angry expression returned to his face. "So you've thought I was a murderer for awhile now, have you?!"   
Goku couldn't help but take a step back when Gohan burst into Super Saiyajin mode. He hadn't thought that his son would be so angry about this. Sure, he didn't think he'd be happy about the questions he was going to ask him, but this was getting a little out of hand. Of course, he hadn't been very happy when he was accused by Vegeta either. "Gohan, you need to calm down. You haven't been the only one to be accused, you know." The demi-Saiyajin blinked in surprise, but that didn't detour his anger at all. "Who else?" he asked simply. "Me and Goten." "By who?" "Vegeta." Goku replied, though he wasn't sure why that would matter. "Vegeta?! Why would he care?! Unless HE'S the murderer and is just trying to focus the blame off himself! Did you ever think of that?!" Goku could still feel his son's energy rising and knew that he'd probably make a break for it at any moment. He didn't like this anymore than Gohan did, but if he was going to get any answers, he'd have to take drastic measures. Without another seconds delay, Goku went Super Saiyajin as well and landed a well placed punch right on the demi-Saiyajin's jaw, knocking him off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. Gohan looked up at his father in surprise and dropped his Super Saiyajin form. "Wha... That really hurt, dad!"   
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Goku sighed as he landed outside of his house again. Gohan wasn't the murderer either. Videl was so worked up about what she had heard, that she forgot he'd been with her at the same time of the murder. His son was still a little upset about being accused, and being punched in the jaw, but he understood why they'd suspected him. Goku decided that his son definitely had some sour feelings toward ChiChi, but he still wouldn't have killed her. So then who could it have been? The process of elimination would eventually single out the culprit, but he was beginning to think that maybe everyone was better off not knowing... 


	4. Narrowing Down

"It was you..." "Of course, but they'll never figure it out." "But how could you?! Why'd you do it?!" "Simple. That woman was getting on my nerves. Don't tell me you actually liked her." "I'm telling them." "You'll tell them nothing!! Besides, I'm the last person on their list. If you say anything, they'll suspect you, not me." "They wouldn't think I killed her." "You're right. They wouldn't think it... they'd KNOW it." "You'll pay for what you've done..."   
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Bulma set down the phone as Vegeta walked into the room after a hard training session in the gravity room. She could tell he was really concentrating on this murder. She just didn't know he was that bored. "Who were you talking to, woman?" he asked as he flopped onto the couch gracelessly. Bulma frowned. "Vegeta! You're getting my couch all smelly! And it's none of your business who I was talking to." "If anything I'm making your couch smell better!" the prince snapped back. He smirked as the woman balled her hands into fists and stormed out of the room. He really enjoyed getting under her skin all the time.   
Vegeta blinked as Trunks walked into the room and sat in a chair on the other side of the room. The demi-Saiyajin took a sip out of a soda can he was holding and flipped on the tv. Boredom was practically written all over him. "Don't you have anything better to do than watch tv, boy?" Vegeta snapped, glaring at the screen as channel after channel flashed by. "Not really." Trunks replied as he finally decided on a show to watch. Unsolved Mysteries. Vegeta listened as the host talked about and reviewed a murder that was never solved. He looked over at his son when he heard him snort. "What?" Trunks shrugged and motioned toward the tv. "I was just thinking that we should sell them the story of ChiChi's murder since no one can figure out who the killer is." The prince raised an eyebrow as he looked back at the television, though he was secretly watching the demi-Saiyajin from the corner of his eye. "Someone will figure it out soon enough." Trunks was silent for a moment before he chuckled again. "If anyone was going to figure it out, they would have by now."   
Vegeta was certain now. Something about Trunks' tone screamed that he knew more than he was letting on. But how was he going to go about confronting him about it? Trunks was his own son, and to accuse him of withholding valuable information about a murder wasn't going to be easy. He'd have to be subtle about this. "Did you have something to do with the murder, boy?!" The demi-Saiyajin nearly fell out of his chair as he was confronted with the blunt question. "What?! Why would you think I had anything to do with it?!" Vegeta shrugged. "It's an innocent question." "And I'm an innocent person! I had nothing to do with this murder, father." Trunks snapped, glaring at the Saiyajin angrily. "A little defensive, are we?" the prince mocked. "Of course I'm defensive! You're accusing me of murdering ChiChi!" the demi-Saiyajin cried. "I am not. I asked you if you had anything to do with it. I didn't say you actually did it." Vegeta studied the strange expression on his son's face. It seemed like Trunks was thinking something over, but was having trouble coming up with some sort of response. His expression was either that of a confused person... or a guilty one.   
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Vegeta once again found himself at the Son's household. He'd decided that he should mention his suspicions to Goku, even though he wasn't positive. It wasn't exactly easy to think that your own son could have murdered someone, but he couldn't just ignore it. Yes. He was definitely going soft.   
"Kakarotto, I think I might have an idea of who might've been involved with ChiChi's death." Goku blinked and scratched his head. "You don't seem very sure at all..." "I'm not." Vegeta replied. "But it's worth some attention." "Who then?" The prince was silent for a moment before answering. "Trunks." "Trunks?!" Goten cried. The demi-Saiyajin had been asked by the prince himself to be present during this conversation, just in case Trunks might have told him anything. "But... why would Trunks do something like that??" Vegeta folded his arms and watched the teenager carefully. "You once said yourself that Trunks wasn't happy about your mother restricting you from sparring with him, did you not?" Goten's expression seemed distant as he slowly nodded, almost as if he were considering this possibility. Goku wasn't so sure. "He doesn't seem capable of murder, Vegeta. Why would you suspect him?" "He's been acting strange ever since the incident. At first I thought he was feeling a little withdrawn after being around Goten and his grief, but lately he's been making comments every now and then. His whole attitude toward the subject is suspicious. I'm suspecting him for much the same reasons you suspected Gohan." the prince explained, convincing himself more and more of his son's guilt.   
Before another word could be spoken, all three warriors snapped to attention as a ki similar to the one felt before ChiChi's murder suddenly spiked somewhere nearby. "That's it!" Vegeta cried, rushing to the door to investigate. Goten was close behind. "Hurry! We have to find it before it disappears again!" The three Saiyajins quickly ran outside and shot into the air to follow the mysterious ki, which was once again disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. "It's the same pattern!" Goten said. He could feel a lump forming in his throat as he remembered what he had found the last time he followed this strange energy. He only hoped that this time wouldn't be the same.   
Vegeta cursed and paused as he scanned the landscape below. The ki had completely vanished again, and like the first time, he was left with only a general area of where it may have come from. He was thinking along the same lines as Goten. The prince was hoping that they wouldn't find another victim as they had last time. Goku frowned as he had thoughts of his own. He should have used the instant transmission as soon as he felt the ki. But it was too late for that now.   
"Down there." Vegeta and the others descended in a spot they all agreed the ki had come from. Unfortunately, they were pretty sure they wouldn't find the source, but they wanted to make sure they didn't find anything else either. Each Saiyajin split up to scan the area, and for a few minutes, nothing was found. But that didn't last long.   
Goku and Vegeta's sensitive Saiyajin ears each picked up the startled gasp of Goten and they were quick to investigate. Both warriors reached the scene at the same time, and each saw that Goten was staring down at yet another victim. Goku's eyes widened slightly at the sight. Not only had this victim's neck been broken, but he had a serious head wound as well. It looked as if he had taken a ki blast right to the temple. Goku swallowed nervously and looked over at Vegeta, who's expression was blank. His eyes seemed empty, like no one was home. Goten looked back at the prince and his father with a look of disbelief. "He's dead... Trunks is dead!!"   
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"I don't understand... How'd you do it? I thought you were...." "Things will become clear soon enough. Don't wrack your brain over it now because you'll never figure it out." "Then why?! Why'd you kill Trunks?!" "He knew more than he was letting on. Remember, he had his mother's smarts." "You didn't have to kill him..." "And you didn't have to let it happen either." "I didn't LET anything happen!! How dare you even suggest such a thing! I have no control over what you do!" "True. I'll do whatever I want. But you have to admit... part of the blame rests on your shoulders." "No... no it doesn't! That's not true!" "Really? If you're so confident that you're completely free of guilt... then why haven't you told them?"   
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Vegeta stood silently at his son's fresh grave, watching as the wind gently blew some loose flower petals across the soil. The others, including Bulma, were standing a little ways away from the prince. Despite his calm appearance, everyone knew that the wrong move could result in someone losing a limb. "I don't understand why someone would do this..." Bulma muttered as her eyes began to once again mist over. Goten just shook his head silently. When the murder of his best friend had first taken place, the demi-Saiyajin was full of grief, much the same way he'd been when his mother was killed. But now he was full of hate instead. He wanted to tear the person responsible for this apart. There was no reason for them to kill Trunks! He had done nothing wrong...   
Everyone looked toward the prince when they heard him growling softly. His anger was beginning to show itself and no one knew how he'd react if confronted at the moment. "Do... do you think someone should talk to him?" Gohan asked as he looked specifically at his father. Goku, however, was already on his way over to the other Saiyajin.   
Goku stopped next to the prince, but remained silent. If Vegeta had anything to say, he'd let him say it. Several minutes drifted by before the shorter Saiyajin snorted in disgust. "I guess I was wrong about Trunks being the murderer." Goku just nodded in response, unsure of what to say. Another couple minutes passed by before Vegeta spoke again. "Has anyone seen that Namek lately?" The other Saiyajin blinked in surprise and looked at the prince. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Piccolo in weeks! He wondered if he even knew about the murderers. "No... Why?" Vegeta finally took his eyes off Trunks' grave and looked at the other Saiyajin. "If you haven't noticed, Kakarotto, both murders took place near your home. Besides you and your son, that Namek is the only one who hangs around that area to meditate and do whatever it is he spends his days doing! He's the only one left that has enough ki and speed to commit these crimes. And my son shouldn't have been killed so easily, unless, of course, he was taken by surprise. And that Namek has a tendency to sneak up on people!" Goku looked down at Trunks' grave as he considered the prince's words. What he had said did make sense, but why would Piccolo suddenly start killing people? It didn't all add up, but there was only one way to find out if Vegeta was right. "Maybe we should pay Piccolo a visit." 


	5. Bloody Discovery

(Sorry everyone. Ff.net is totally messing up the format of the fic, which is why it was one big paragraph last time. I'm putting in some HTML coding in the hopes it'll fix the problem.)  
  
  
"You think I WHAT?!" Piccolo shouted. "You're the only one left, Namek! You have to have something to do with these murders!" Vegeta growled as he glared at the green alien. "Why would I kill them? What reason would I have to do something like that?!" "That's what I'd like to know!" the prince shouted as he advanced a little on the Namek. Goku put out his arm to halt the other Saiyajin. He didn't want this to become another murder scene. "Vegeta, calm down. I know you're upset about Trunks, but we have to make sure before we accuse him." The prince balled his hands into fists before folding his arms and turning away from the other two, trying to get himself under control before he put a hole through the Namek. Piccolo glared at him before looking at Goku. "You mean to tell me that you think I might have done this?" The Saiyajin didn't say anything for quite some time before he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I don't know, Piccolo. That's why we're here." Vegeta suddenly spun back around, seeming a little calmer now. "Give us a believable excuse and I won't kill you." Piccolo grit his teeth to resist the urge to cause harm to the prince right there and then. But he had an excuse.   
  
"Have either of you stopped to think that I share this body with Kami?" The two Saiyajins stared at the Namek blankly as they struggled to figure out the meaning behind the question. Assuming that their silence meant they were clueless, he continued. "Even if I wanted to kill anyone in cold blood, that nagging voice in the back of my head wouldn't allow it. As much as I hate to admit it, that old geezer has control over part of me. Murder is out of the question." After considering his words carefully, Goku sighed and looked at Vegeta. "He's right, you know." "Damn it!!" the prince growled as he began to storm away from the Namek. "I really needed to kill someone!"   
  
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"Who else? Who else is there?!" Vegeta muttered to himself. He was just about at his wits end trying to figure this baffling case out. Yamcha and Tien weren't even in the general area, so it couldn't have been them. Goku, Gohan, Goten, Piccolo, and himself were the only ones with ki.... Except...."   
  
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"Open up, baldy!!" Vegeta shouted as he pounded on the door to the Turtle Hermit's house. Krillin was quick to answer because he knew the prince wouldn't hesitate to break the entire door down if he had to. "Vegeta? What's wrong?!" "What's wrong?! WHAT'S WRONG?! MY SON WAS MURDERED, YOU IDIOT!!" The former monk blinked in surprise at the prince's sudden outburst. "I understand that... And you have my sympathy, but why are you here?" "Because you're the only one left who could have committed the murders."   
  
Krillin was clearly shocked to say the least, but he couldn't understand why he'd be suspected above all people. The prince was quick to explain as he paced back and forth on the small sandy beach. "Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who could have done this has been checked out already. They all have alibis. I would have suspected your mechanical woman, but androids don't have any energy that we can sense. And I figured that pervert Roshi would have been too busy reading porno magazines to bother himself with murdering anyone. That leaves you." Krillin knew he was innocent, but he couldn't come up with a believable reason that would convince the prince of that. He couldn't even remember where he'd been at the times of both murders. Vegeta was becoming annoyed with the monk's silence, and increasingly suspicious. "Well?!" "Vegeta.... I didn't... I couldn't have...uh..." The prince growled in frustration. He was about two seconds away from blasting the bald man. Suddenly, Goku appeared next to them. He seemed very upset about something. "Vegeta! There's been another murder!"   
  
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Vegeta stared down at the motionless Namek. He was still in the same area he'd been in when he and Goku had talked to him the day before, but sure wasn't in the same condition. This time the killer hadn't even bothered to break his victim's neck. Judging from the gaping hole in the alien's chest, the murderer simply hit him with a ki blast from behind. He probably didn't even see it coming until it was too late.   
  
"Did you see anything?" Vegeta asked as he walked around the surrounding area for any clues. Goku shook his head. "No... I just felt the same ki again. This time I used my instant transmission in an attempt to get here in time, but it was already too late." "Hn. And you say this just happened right before you told me?" the prince asked, glancing up at Goku, who simply nodded in response. So that would have to mean Krillin was innocent as well. Then who could it have possibly been?! Things weren't adding up! Everyone else had been proven innocent, so that would have to mean that maybe there was an intruder with an impressive ki that was doing this. Obviously the culprit was a serial killer. It could have been a former enemy who was getting revenge the best way he knew how, but why would he have killed ChiChi? She never even came into contact with most of their strongest enemies. Either way, if the murderer wasn't found soon, he would strike again.   
  
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Days later...   
  
"Anyone care to explain why we're here?" Yamcha asked as he looked around at the entire group of people gathered at Capsule Corp. Every surviving member of the Z senshi was there, ranging from Vegeta to Roshi. Some, such as Tien and Yamacha, hadn't yet learned about the murders. "You're all here because I suspect that one of us is a serial killer. ChiChi, Trunks, and Piccolo have all been murdered by someone with an impressive amount of ki. We haven't been able to figure out who it is yet, but I figure if we all stay in the same general area long enough, we'll be able to single out the culprit." Vegeta explained, watching everyone for any potential reactions to what he'd said.   
  
"So.... Are you saying we have to stay here? For how long?" Gohan asked. Sure, Capsule Corp was a gigantic building, but he didn't want to be forced to say there for an undetermined amount of time! But that seemed like the case. "Yes, and for as long as it takes. You have two options, Gohan. Leave and get murdered, or stay and possibly get murdered, but solve the case at the same time. There are hidden cameras all over this place. Some of which I haven't even found yet, so even if we don't see the murder, at least we'll have it caught on video tape." the prince said, pointing to a hidden camera aimed at the group to emphasize his point. Everyone stared at him blankly for a moment, then looked at each other. "So you're saying there's a chance more people could be killed?" Tien asked, not at all feeling comforted by the idea of having cameras capture his brutal murder at the hands of a former friend. Vegeta was silent for a moment before nodding. "Bulma will show you all to your rooms."   
  
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Bulma yawned and smoothed her tangled hair with her fingers as she walked into the kitchen for a midnight snack. She wasn't at all surprised when she saw Goku there as well, wolfing down a pile of food like he was starving. The woman didn't mind though. She felt comforted to have him there with her.   
  
Bulma poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat down across from the Saiyajin. "Hey, Goku. Wow. Really that hungry, huh?" Goku nodded as he swallowed that last of the food he'd set out and sat back in his chair, patting his stomach in satisfaction. "Yeah, well if there's a chance someone's gonna kill me, I wanna at least die full. It's no fun being dead and hungry, you know." Bulma chuckled and stirred her cereal around with her spoon. She knew he was just joking, but the thought of someone murdering her best friend wasn't a pleasant picture. "Goku... You don't think anyone here is actually a killer...do you?" The Saiyajin's expression became serious as he thought about the possibilities. "I don't know. I don't want to think so, but you can't help but assume..." Bulma nodded and finally pried her eyes off her cereal bowl as she looked up at him. "Just be careful..." The Saiyajin smiled. "I was about to say the same thing to you."   
  
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Bulma woke up the next morning feeling very much on edge. Something about the way the air hung just didn't seem right. There was a heavy feeling about it. The woman glanced at the clock as she once again found herself in the kitchen. 9:47 a.m. Sure enough, everyone was in the kitchen devouring everything in sight... At least all the Saiyajins were. Except for one... "Where's Goku?" Bulma asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, so she really needed the jumpstart. Gohan and Goten paused and looked at each other, then at Vegeta, who had also paused from eating his breakfast. At the same exact time, they all jumped up from the table and ran to the Saiyajin's bedroom.   
  
Goten, Gohan, Bulma, and Vegeta all gathered outside Goku's bedroom door, unsure of what to do. They didn't want to just barge in, but it was highly unusual for the Saiyajin not to be the first to the table in the morning. Bulma, feeling the desperate need to break the silence that lingered, spoke some encouraging words. "He was up pretty late last night too... And he ate late. Maybe he's just tired and hasn't gotten hungry again yet." The others pondered this option for a moment, but still didn't find it to be satisfactory. "Dad could eat a ten course meal and still be hungry five minutes later..." Gohan said. "Yeah. And he's usually up training by 9 every morning." Goten added.   
  
Deciding that there was definitely something wrong, Vegeta opened the door and slowly poked his head into the room. Everything appeared to be normal at first glance, but the prince's Saiyajin senses could pick up something the others could not; the smell of blood. The air reeked of it. He paused and looked over at Goten. "Take Bulma downstairs." The demi-Saiyajin's eyes narrowed in horror. Something was wrong. "Wha..." "Now!" Vegeta snapped. Goten looked at Gohan, who nodded for him to do as he was told. Reluctantly, the teenager took Bulma's arm and pulled her away from the room, yet she wasn't very happy about it either. She was more than smart enough to know that something was wrong. The remaining Saiyajins waited until the two were downstairs before entering the room and closing the door behind them.   
  
"Dad?" Gohan called, scanning the visible parts of the room carefully. A horrible silence was all that answered; a silence that sent shivers down the demi-Saiyajin's spine. Gohan came to a quick halt when Vegeta held out an arm to stop him, then pointed toward the bed. He followed the prince's pointed finger and gasped as he spotted what the other had. He could see Goku's arm hanging limply over the side of the bed; which wouldn't have been that surprising if not for the fact there was blood dipping down the limb, creating a pool a crimson liquid on the floor. Gohan slowly shook his head in an attempt to stop the tears that were already forming in his eyes. "He can't be dead... I didn't hear anything... I didn't even feel the ki this time, Vegeta..." The prince looked over at the demi-Saiyajin, then back at the grim scene in front of them. The cause of death wasn't yet known since they couldn't see anymore than Goku's arm, but he already knew what had happened. "Gohan, why don't you just go downstairs." The other man hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded and left without another word.   
  
Vegeta took a deep breath and slowly approached the bed. He hated to admit it, but he could feel a lump forming in his throat. The Saiyajin stared blankly for a moment when he had a full view of the latest victim. The murderer must have been afraid of getting caught because he had put duct tape over the Saiyajin's mouth to assure he didn't make any extra noise. The killer also seemed to be getting more creative. The fatal blow seemed to have come from a stab wound in Goku's stomach. However, it wasn't a normal dagger that created the wound. Vegeta noted that some of the surrounding flesh was burned, meaning the blade was made of ki. This killer certainly seemed talented to say the least. But what baffled the prince was how the Saiyajin was so easily killed. It didn't even look like he'd put up much of a fight at all, and that definitely didn't seem like something Goku would do. Surely he had time to fight back seeing as how the murderer took the time to put the tape over his mouth. And no one had said they heard anything last night either. This had to have happened within the last two or three hours as well judging from the amount of blood that had already drained. And the last person to have any contact with Goku was Bulma.   
  
Vegeta put his hand on his chin as he glanced around the room. There weren't any other signs of a struggle or anything else of that nature. The prince growled low in his throat as he looked back at his former rival. "Damn it! I was supposed to be the one who killed him!" Taking a deep breath, the Saiyajin cleared his mind and once again focused on the issue at hand. He looked up at the ceiling and snapped his fingers as he remembered his key weapon in fighting back against the murderer. "The cameras!" Without another word, Vegeta dashed out of the room. 


	6. Culprit Revealed

Bulma paced back and forth outside the room Vegeta was currently occupying. "Why won't he let us in there?! We have every right to know what happened to Goku too!" Gohan put his hand on the woman's shoulder to comfort her. He knew that she was hiding her grief behind her anger and he wanted to keep her as calm as possible. "Relax, Bulma. He has his reasons. I'm sure he'll tell us what happened once he's seen what's on the tape." In reality, Gohan knew that the reason Vegeta didn't want anyone else to see the tape was because he didn't want the murderer to know he was caught yet. The only people who even knew the prince was currently viewing the tapes were Goten, Bulma, and himself.   
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Vegeta scanned the hundreds of monitors in front of him, trying to find the one that showed a view of Goku's bedroom. After several frustrating minutes of searching, the prince finally spotted the right screen. He looked back down at the control panel in front of him and pressed a series of buttons that allowed that one monitor to become the main focus among all the others. The other screens were now covered by the selected camera view. Now for the hard part.   
Vegeta began to rewind the videotape as he carefully examined the actions zipping by on the monitor. He hit play once again when he caught something suspicious just out of range. The screen showed an empty room, but the Saiyajin could hear what sounded like a struggle going on off-camera. A few seconds later, someone pushed an already dead Goku onto the bed. Unfortunately, the murderer managed to stay just out of camera range. Vegeta growled in frustration and was just about to flip the monitor off when his heightened Saiyajin hearing picked something up. The prince quickly turned the volume up and carefully listened to a conversation that was taking place.   
"Damn you! Why?!" "It was a matter of time anyway. Don't be so upset about it! You're such a weakling!" "I'M the weakling?? You're the one murdering people before they even have a chance to fight back!" "But it's more fun that way. The look of panic on their faces is to die for!" ".... You've got a sick sense of humor." "Whatever. You realize what this means now, don't you?" "Yes. That's why I don't understand why you did this." "It'll make things that much more fun, baka. Now stop arguing with me!"   
Vegeta's eyes widened as the conversation went on. The voices were familiar. In fact, he knew exactly who they belonged to! But how was it possible?! It just didn't make any sense. Either way, if his suspicions were correct, then everyone was in serious trouble.   
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Bulma stopped pacing as the door to the camera room slowly opened and Vegeta stepped out. He looked at her, Goten, and Gohan with a neutral expression on his face. "Well?" Goten asked, practically jumping out of his skin from the stress this situation was causing. "Do you know who the murderer is?" Before Vegeta could even take a breath to reply, the Saiyajins once again felt the familiar and deadly ki spike somewhere within the building. "That way!" Gohan shouted as he and the others took off down the hallway.   
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Yamcha slowed his pace as he walked down the hallway of Capsule Corp. He was on his way to the kitchen when he suddenly had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He didn't feel anyone else's presence though, so he figured he was just being paranoid because of everything that had happened lately. He continued down the hall in silence, occasionally glancing over his shoulder as the strange feeling that swept over him intensified. For a split second, the warrior caught a glimpse of someone moving in the shadows. His heart immediately found a new home in his throat. Yamcha spun around and quickly took a defensive fighting stance so he'd be prepared for what was to come. He knew that this was the person everyone was looking for. This was the murderer. He blinked as a low rumble of laughter reached his straining ears and gasped as he heard the killer's voice. "Aw. It's not as much fun when they know I'm about to kill them." Yamcha's mouth dropped open in shock as it became clear who had been killing off the Z senshi one by one. "It's.... It's you...."   
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As they neared, Vegeta and the others could clearly hear the pained scream of Yamcha as the murderer attacked him. The sound seemed to echo off the walls, creating an eerie effect. "We're going to be too late again!" Goten cried in frustration. Vegeta, on the other hand, knew they'd come face to face with the culprit this time. The ki hadn't faded out as quickly as it normally did, and that had to mean only one thing; the murderer was waiting for them. "No... We'll get him this time." the prince growled.   
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The killer sighed in boredom as he dropped his latest victim on the floor in a bloody heap. "Man... These guys are far too easy to kill. I hope the next one puts up more of a struggle." "The next one is going to do more than struggle!" The murderer's head snapped to attention as Vegeta and the others stopped a few feet away. The prince didn't seem nearly as surprised as Goten and Gohan did. The two demi-Saiyajin's jaws were nearly touching the ground. If he didn't have such a 'sick' sense of humor, he might have found their appearances to be funny. However, if they had been dead and bloody, then he would have been laughing.   
"It's about time you got here. And just so you know, Tien's dead too. He screams like a girl..." "Enough!" Vegeta growled. The prince didn't like the smirk set on the killer's face. He was enjoying this way too much. He had no sense of guilt; no regret. It was all one big game to him. "Enough?" the killer asked in mock surprise. "But I haven't even gotten to the fun victims yet! Lucky for me you've all lined up in a nice little row. I don't know if you're just being generous, or stupid." Vegeta glanced back at Gohan and Goten, who both still seemed to be in shock. Goten, however, seemed to be attempting to form words. "But how... You were dead..." The prince looked back at the murderer. "Yes. Tell us how you did it... Kakarotto."   
A cruel smile formed over Goku's, or should I say, Kakarotto's face. "It was pretty simple actually. You all know Paur, right? Goku happen to run into her last night and as the two had a little chat, I got an idea. I knew eventually people would begin to suspect me, or Goku rather, so I took over the conversation; and with a little 'friendly' persuasion, I managed to convince the little rat to transform into me. Now we all know that when Puar transforms, her voice stays the same, so that's why I taped her mouth shut. I didn't want her annoying high-pitched voice to alert you and every dog within a ten-mile radius of the murder. And, of course, she can't mimic my strength either, so killing her was simple. I knew about the cameras in the room, thanks to you, Vegeta, so I was careful to stay out of view. Unfortunately, after the murder, Goku decided to have a bit of a conversation with me. I was distracted and so I fell for his little plan and gave myself away despite my careful planning. I figured Vegeta would hear the two voices and figure it out, so my original plans of killing you all one by one had to be changed. Now I'll just kill you all at once and be done with it."   
Gohan, who had become increasingly angry as Kakarotto explained the whole process, was the first to speak. "But why are you just showing up now?! I thought you were gone forever when my dad hit his head as a child!" The Saiyajin tsked and shook his head slowly. "Wrong. And here I thought you were the smart one. After my head injury, I wasn't erased; just pushed to the back of Goku's mind. I still to this day have no idea where that baka came from, but he had taken over my body and I was a prisoner in my own mind! No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break through the wall Goku had set up to block me out, but things changed when he became a Super Saiyajin. The little transformation awakened the Saiyajin side of him. The real Goku. He even admitted that when he was fighting Frieza, he no longer cared about whether or not he was killing with a sense of justice. He just wanted him dead. He wanted to slowly tear Frieza apart and actually hear him scream in agony. Needless to say, I was pleased. However, he still managed to regain control of himself and held my awakening off for awhile longer, but I already had the window I needed to make my escape. As Goku's power level grew, I became stronger as well, and soon I was able to take control over my body for short periods of time. The little windows of opportunity became larger as time went on, and that's when I decided to get back at Goku for taking control of my body the best way I knew how. And that was to kill off everyone he cared about. At first the baka wasn't even aware of my presence. The death of ChiChi was a total and complete mystery to him. But eventually he caught on. That's when he began to try to stop me. But, as I told Goku, you can't stop the inevitable."   
Vegeta carefully considered the other Saiyajin's words. Some things still didn't make sense. "If what you say is true, then how were you able to kill Trunks? I was with Kak--- Goku at the same time that was happening." "Ah, perhaps the first and last intelligent question anyone's ever asked me." Kakarotto mocked as he glanced over at Gohan. "That was a little more difficult to pull off. I'm sure you're all aware of the little technique used to split ones self into twos, or threes, or whatever. With a little practice, I managed to manipulate that technique to the point where I could not only spilt my body into two beings, but my mind as well. The only problem was, Goku's mind had to be willing to allow such a thing to occur in order for me to successfully perform the task. But I found that while he was asleep, I could somewhat hypnotize his subconscious into doing whatever I wanted. So that's when I did it. I would have stayed separate from the baka, but I found that most my power would be left in my original body, so if I wanted to be strong enough to overwhelm my victims, I'd have to tolerate Goku for awhile longer. Over time, I was able to take control of this body for longer and longer periods of time, and now I've almost completely pushed the Goku you know into the prison I was trapped in for so long." Kakarotto smirked and tapped his temple with his finger. "He's a stubborn one though, so he manages to make himself known sometimes; like after Paur's murder, but it's nothing I can't handle."   
Vegeta, Gohan, and Goten stared at the evil being that stood before them. He may have looked like the Goku they'd all grown to love...or tolerate in the prince's case, but from just taking one look at his eyes, it was easy to tell the difference. His eyes had become cold and unforgiving, much like Vegeta's eyes had looked when he first came to Earth. And with Piccolo dead, the dragonballs were gone, so that meant they couldn't wish the old Goku back, or bring back any of Kakarotto's victims. Vegeta, however, had taken a particular interest in part of the Saiyajin's story. If he could separate his mind from Goku's, then there was a chance they could destroy the weaker version of Kakarotto once he did so. But, as he had already said, both minds have to be willing for the task to work. And in this case, Kakarotto wouldn't be very willing. But there had to be a way to pull it off. They just had to figure out how.   
Kakarotto chuckled as he watched the Saiyajins. Each had different emotions passing over their faces as they thought about everything he'd told them. Normally he wasn't the chatty type, but he had done such a clever job throughout this whole ordeal that he couldn't help but boast about it. However, the time for words was over. It was time for the action to begin. "So. Which one of you wants to die first?" 


	7. Battle For Victory

Vegeta, Gohan, and Goten each noticeably became tense as they attempted to figure out a way to take down the evil Saiyajin. If they wanted to get Goku back, they'd have to be careful not to kill the Saiyajin, but they had to make sure he couldn't fight back either. This was going to be difficult. Kakarotto could sense their hesitation and smirked as he came up with the perfect way to get at least Vegeta to make a move. He'd have to make him angry. "If you're really that afraid, I'll give you a five minute head start. How's that sound?" The other three Saiyajins looked at him before glancing at each other and nodding. Without another moments delay, they all took off in the opposite direction. Kakarotto stared at the retreating warriors in stunned silence. ".....I didn't actually think they'd run...."   
  
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Once they were out of sight and hearing range, the Saiyajins stopped to discuss their strategy. "How are we going to pull this one off?" Goten asked as he glanced around nervously. "You both remember what Kakarotto said about separating his mind from Goku's, right?" Vegeta asked. Gohan and Goten both nodded. "Unless he left an important detail out, all we have to do to give Goku a chance to expel Kakarotto, is to knock him unconscious. I'm assuming that's basically the same as being asleep, so maybe Goku can do the same thing Kakarotto did to separate himself from the other. Make sense?" Gohan thought about the fairly simple sounding plan and nodded in agreement. "Yeah... but easier said than done. How are we going to knock him out without getting killed? Unlike my dad, I'm sure Kakarotto won't hesitate to use every ounce of his strength." Vegeta smirked in a way that unnerved both demi-Saiyajins. "Easy. One, or both of you are going to be bait." "WHAT?!" Goten and Gohan cried at once, each hosting their own horrified expression. "Don't be cowards." the prince snapped. "When Kakarotto is occupied with you two, I'll sneak up from behind and at the last minute, I'll power up and knock him upside the head. He won't even know what hit him." After much reluctance, Gohan finally nodded and sighed. "Fine. I'll distract him. But if he kills me, I'm going to be VERY upset. Are you coming Got---" The older demi-Saiyajin blinked and looked around when he realized his brother had disappeared. "Goten?!" Vegeta rolled his eyes and pointed down the hallway, where the Saiyajin could be seen making a hasty retreat. "I don't know if he's a coward, or a genius."   
  
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Gohan slowly rounded another corner as he made his way down the twisting halls of Capsule Corp. He was trying to be as quiet as possible, but he figured that the pounding of his heart would give him away anyway. The demi-Saiyajin carefully made his way down the hallway, cautiously slowing down each time he had to pass an open door. He didn't want to be taken by surprise, but he figured he would be either way. That seemed to be Kakarotto's style.   
  
Gohan froze as the hair on his neck stood on end. He didn't feel a ki, but he knew he was being watched. He wanted desperately to power up for defensive reasons, but Vegeta had instructed him not to unless he found Kakarotto...or Kakarotto found him. That was the cue for the prince to make an entrance and execute his sneak attack. As for Goten... he was probably looking for the evil Saiyajin under a bed somewhere.   
  
The demi-Saiyajin gasped and spun around as he heard a small sound behind him. It sounded like the tapping sound shoes made on a hard surface, or in this case, boots. However, all that greeted him was an empty hallway. Gohan sucked up a deep breath through his teeth as a muscular arm encircled his throat from behind. He attempted to break free of the hold, but that only served to cause the owner of the arm to tighten his grip. "Hello, son! You're not very good at hiding, you know that?" "I'm not your son." Gohan growled as he angrily tried to pull away from Kakarotto. "Come now. It's an attitude like that that'll get you killed faster... or slower depending on my mood." "You're sick! I'll enjoy seeing you die!" the demi-Saiyajin snapped, his voice full of ice. Kakarotto promptly tightened his grip around Gohan's throat again, cutting off his air supply. "Well that wouldn't be very smart of you unless you want to kill Goku too. Makes no difference to me though seeing as how none of you have the slightest chance against me." The only response from the demi-Saiyajin was the choking noises he made as he attempted to loosen the hold on him; so Kakarotto continued. "By the way. Have you seen Videl lately?" Gohan suddenly froze as he heard the mocking tone the other Saiyajin used. Kakarotto smirked as he imagined the expression the demi-Saiyajin must have on his face right now. "I have. I saw her just this morning, actually. She was always such a pretty girl. Not anymore though. I guess I shouldn't seek a profession in the art of plastic surgery, eh?" Gohan's eyes widened as his mocking laughter filled his ears. He'd had enough! The demi-Saiyajin grit his teeth angrily and began to power up before he passed out from lack of oxygen. He didn't care if he died now, he just wanted Kakarotto destroyed.   
  
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Vegeta paused in mid-stride as Gohan's power level skyrocketed. That was his cue! The prince immediately took off towards the power source, careful to keep his ki at a minimum so he could retain the advantage of surprise. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.   
  
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Gohan began to feel nauseas as Kakarotto began to go into detail about what he'd actually done to Videl. Evil or not, the demi-Saiyajin didn't think anyone could be black hearted enough to stomach a torture such as that. Gohan attempted to blink away the spots that were now forming before his eyes to no prevail. His lungs were screaming for air, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the Saiyajin's death grip on his neck. Kakarotto, however, was becoming impatient. His graphic story was over and Gohan was still alive! "Don't you ever die?!" he growled. Almost as if on cue, the demi-Saiyajin finally lost consciousness and became limp in the evil Saiyajin's grip. "About time. Note to self: Suffocation takes too long." No longer caring whether or not the demi-Saiyajin was actually dead, Kakarotto dropped his victim and brushed his hands together in boredom. "Where's Vegeta anyway? He should prove to be more entertaining."   
  
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Goten watched in horror from around the corner as his brother was tossed onto the floor. He wasn't sure if he was dead or not, but considering who they were dealing with, he could only assume the worst. The demi-Saiyajin looked around for any signs of Vegeta, but he couldn't see or sense the prince anywhere. It must be taking him longer to get here since he's trying to mask his ki as much as possible. Goten knew he couldn't let Kakarotto walk away from this spot because then Vegeta's plan would be ruined! The demi-Saiyajin took a deep breath and stepped out from his hiding place.   
  
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Kakarotto glanced up from his latest victim as some movement up ahead caught his attention. He smirked as Goku's youngest son stepped out from around the corner. "Didn't your father ever teach you brats how to hide?" "No," Goten muttered as he glared at the Saiyajin. "He taught us how to kick people's asses though." Kakarotto snorted and began to laugh at the demi-Saiyajin's comment. "Well I have to say; I already like you more than this one." he said, motioning toward Gohan. "But that won't stop me from killing you."   
  
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Vegeta cursed under his breath as Gohan's ki faded and Goten's flared up instead. "Kuso!! I didn't think Kakarotto would be able to defeat him so quickly! Goten better hang on long enough for me to get there or this whole plan is worthless!" The prince growled in frustration as he rounded another corner and picked up speed. Almost there.   
  
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Goten gasped and narrowly dodged as Kakarotto's fist flew by his face. It was times like this he wished he'd taken his training more seriously instead of spending his time on a cell phone. On the other hand, how was he supposed to know that his father's evil side would take over his body and reek havoc on everyone? Goten yelled out in pain as his lack of concentration earned him several well-placed punches to the chest and face. Kakarotto chuckled evilly as he faded out and reappeared behind the confused demi-Saiyajin. In the blink of an eye, Goten found himself imbedded into one of Capsule Corp's walls after being dealt a bone crushing roundhouse kick to the back. He moaned in pain as he fell backwards onto the floor and stared up at the ceiling. A few seconds later, his blurry vision made out the image of a cruelly smiling Kakarotto, who was currently holding a glowing ball of ki in his right hand.   
  
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Vegeta grit his teeth as he now felt Goten's ki wavering while Kakarotto was powering up even more. "Damn it! If ChiChi were alive, she'd kill me for sending her sons to their deaths!" The prince was about to blow his plan and power up in order to get on location fast enough when another ki suddenly flared up. Vegeta's eyes widened slightly before he smirked. His plan was back in action.   
  
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Goten's eyes widened as the ki ball in Kakarotto's hand became larger and was directed right at him. He knew he'd be incinerated at this range, so there was no point in trying to protect himself. All he could do was close his eyes and wait to join everyone else on the other side. The demi-Saiyajin tensed as he heard a loud explosion and pained scream. However, it wasn't his scream. Goten opened his eyes and looked up at Kakarotto, who was no longer focusing his attention on him. Instead, the evil Saiyajin was looking at someone else behind him. The demi-Saiyajin blinked in confusion and followed his gaze, smiling when he saw who had stopped Kakarotto from killing his next victim. "Gohan!" 


	8. Turning Tides

"Kuso! I knew I should have crushed your windpipe! No matter. I'll just finish what I started now." Kakarotto turned away from Goten to face Gohan, who had powered back up to his maximum level. The demi-Saiyajin knew he needed to get the evil Saiyajin back out into the open so Vegeta could easily get behind him without being noticed, but it wasn't going to be an easy task. Kakarotto's raw energy crackled around him as a ki attack appeared in each of his hands. "I don't like having to kill people twice, so this time I'll make sure you're actually dead!" Gohan gasped and ducked as Kakarotto shot his first of two ki attacks at him, narrowly missing. However, the evil Saiyajin was counting on that defensive move because seconds later, the second ki attack was headed straight for Gohan's current location. The demi-Saiyajin quickly formed his own attack and barely managed to bring his glowing hands out in front of him before both attacks collided.   
  
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Vegeta skidded to a halt as Gohan flew past him and hit the wall. "Whoa... that really hurt..." the demi-Saiyajin muttered as he rubbed his smoking hands together. The prince peered around the corner into the hallway the other Saiyajin had just come from, where he spotted Kakarotto. The evil Saiyajin didn't seem to be worn out in the least. Vegeta turned back to Gohan, who had just noticed the prince. "What have you been doing all this time, brat?" he whispered harshly, as to not be heard by Kakarotto. "Having a tea party!" Gohan muttered sarcastically as he pulled himself to his feet. Vegeta glared at the demi-Saiyajin. "You need to lure him over here so I can knock him out!" Gohan would have responded if not for the fact Kakarotto was now staring at him as if he were insane. He had heard the demi-Saiyajin mutter something about a tea party and he figured he'd knocked a few screws loose with his last attack.   
  
Gohan took a deep breath and once again powered up, quickly sending a few small ki blasts Kakarotto's way. The Saiyajin easily avoided them, but they served their purpose. With each attack avoided, Kakarotto came closer and closer to the end of the hallway, and closer and closer to his defeat. Gohan's eyes widened slightly as the evil Saiyajin threw him another of his smirks before disappearing. He knew that smirk... That was a 'I'm bored now so you're going to die' smirk. 'Wow. I know this guy too well.' Gohan thought bitterly. The demi-Saiyajin quickly spun around as Kakarotto appeared right behind him. 'Perfect!!' The evil Saiyajin raised an eyebrow when he noticed the demi-Saiyajin's happy expression. 'Wait a minute... He's not supposed to be happy about dying...'   
  
Vegeta smirked as Kakarotto appeared in exactly the right spot for his attack. Without wasting another second, he quickly powered up, laced his fingers together as he raised them above his head, and brought them down on an unsuspecting... Gohan?!   
  
Kakarotto burst out laughing as the prince stared wide-eyed at a now unconscious Gohan. "You should see the look on your face!" the evil Saiyajin chuckled. "Guess I'm faster than you thought, eh?" Vegeta growled in frustration and balled his hands into fists. He thought for sure he had him! "Don't be so upset." Kakarotto mocked. "That wouldn't have been enough to take me down even if you did hit me." The evil Saiyajin kicked Gohan out of the way and turned back to the prince. "Well? Are you done sneaking up on people now, or do you still want to play hide and seek?" "You should talk, Kakarotto! You're the one killing people when their backs are turned!" Vegeta snapped, all the while glancing around for any signs that Goten or Gohan were still conscious. Neither looked like they were in any condition to aid him. Suddenly, Vegeta remembered something that had taken place on Planet Namek that might be helpful to him. Now he just needed to get the supplies it would take to execute his new plan. The prince looked at the other Saiyajin, who was still waiting for him to do something. "Uh... Stay right there!" Without another word, Vegeta turned and ran back down the hallway, leaving a very confused Kakarotto behind.   
  
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Vegeta ran throughout Capsule Corp, keeping an eye out for a certain killer Saiyajin who might be following. Luckily, Kakarotto seemed to be staying put. He was probably curious as to what the prince had up his sleeve. If there was the promise of a challenge, a Saiyajin would always wait and see.   
  
Vegeta finally came to his intended destination and quickly punched a code into a keypad on the wall. This was one of the several rooms in the building that was off limits to most the public. The only reason he had the code was because he'd been spying on Bulma while she punched it in a while ago. She never even saw him.   
  
The prince waited as the door slowly hissed open and stepped into the room, only to be confronted with the most vicious broom he'd ever encountered. "Stay back! I'm not ready to die yet!!! I have a mop too and I'm not afraid to use it!!" Vegeta rolled his eyes and grabbed the broom away from who he now knew to be Bulma. "Woman! If you really want to kill someone, give them a whiff of your breath! Now get out of my way!" The woman glared at Vegeta as he pushed his way past her and proceeded into the lab. "Hey! How'd you get the access code for this room?! And my breath does NOT smell bad!" Bulma turned away from Vegeta and secretly held her hand up to her mouth as she blew into her palm, smelling the air afterward. She smirked triumphantly and turned back to the Saiyajin. "Ha! My breath is minty fresh! Shows what you know!"   
  
Bulma paused when she noticed the prince was currently ignoring her while searching through her lab supplies. "What are you looking for? Did you find the killer?" "Of course I found him!" Vegeta snapped. "If you hadn't run away like a coward, you'd know who it is by now! Get over here and help me find something that'll knock someone out for a long period of time!" Bulma tilted her head to the side for a moment as she noticed the object the Saiyajin was holding. "...Why don't you just...." She gasped when her brilliant mind began to put the pieces together, even though she was still thoroughly confused. "It's Goku?! But he's dead!" "No, Paur's dead! And it's not Goku, it's Kakarotto." "What do you mean, 'Kakarotto'?" Vegeta slammed his hands on the table and glared over at the woman. "Do you want to die?!" Bulma gasped and shook her head. "Then get over here and help me!!"   
  
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Kakarotto tapped his foot impatiently as he strolled down the halls of Capsule Corp. Vegeta had masked his ki the second he had disappeared from sight, he needless to say, he was getting bored waiting for him to come back. "Maybe he actually ran away..." the Saiyajin thought. He quickly dismissed the possibility, knowing that Vegeta wasn't the type to turn tail and run, even if the odds were stacked against him. And because of that fact, the situation was actually making Kakarotto a little nervous. He knew that unlike the others, the prince strived for a challenge. Even if it seemed hopeless, he'd always find a way to make a situation possible. "Hmm... Maybe I should have just... shot him in the back or something..."   
  
Kakarotto blinked and turned around when he heard low laughter coming from down the hall. There he found Vegeta, who was currently holding something in his hand. Whatever it was, the light seemed to cause a part of it to shine. "Are you done running now?" the evil Saiyajin asked as he folded his arms. "I'm done running alright; and you're done living." Kakarotto chuckled a bit before walking closer to the prince to get a better look at what he was so confident about. He paused as the item in Vegeta's hand became fully visible, and he slightly paled.   
  
"What's wrong?" the prince mocked upon seeing the uneasy expression on the other Saiyajin's face. "Afraid of needles, are we? I suppose that's a small fear that both you and Goku possess. How convenient." "I'm... I'm not afraid of it, you baka. I was just surprised that you're so weak that you have to resort to using it." Kakarotto insisted. He hoped that the comment would go straight to Vegeta's pride and cause him to discard the needle and fight the old fashion way. "Well I figured that you've been fighting dirty, so why can't I?" the prince countered, smirking in satisfaction when the other Saiyajin took a small step away from him. As expected, Kakarotto turned tail and ran down the hallway. Now even if the evil Saiyajin did muster the courage to stand and fight, the fear would make his technique sloppy, making it easy to administer the shot. Things were definitely beginning to look up. With that last thought in mind, Vegeta gave chase. 


	9. Fighting Chance

Even with his ki masked, Kakarotto was surprisingly fast. He'd managed to put quite a distance between himself and the prince, and needless to say, Vegeta was getting frustrated. The prince slowed his pace to a walk as he glanced down the hallways. The Saiyajin could have been in any one of the hundreds of rooms within the building; and knowing how sneaky Kakarotto could be, he had to be on guard.   
  
Vegeta paused and looked over his shoulder when he heard the light taps of someone's shoes on the floor. Whoever it was seemed to moving cautiously as if they were sneaking up on someone, or hiding from someone. The prince smirked and slipped out of the hallway into a nearby room, waiting patiently for the shadowed figure to walk by. The footsteps got closer and closer, and when they were right outside the door, Vegeta jumped out and prepared to inject Kakarotto with the needle.   
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" The prince froze a mere inch away from a cowering Bulma, who was covering her head as she crouched on the floor. "Woman!! You almost ruined my entire plan! What are you doing here?!" Bulma took a deep breath and composed herself as she brushed her clothes off. "I wanted to help you!" Vegeta looked around the hall, suddenly becoming aware that all the shouting had probably alerted Kakarotto to their current location. That meant only one of two things: The evil Saiyajin would either try to attack them right there and then while the element of surprise was on his side, or he'd make sure he got as far away as possible. If Kakarotto left the building, then there was no guessing what he'd do.   
  
Vegeta quickly grabbed Bulma's arm and pulled her down the hall. "Hey! What are you doing?!" the woman cried, struggling to keep up with the fast pace the Saiyajin had set. "Trying to keep you from getting killed! Is that ok with you?!" the prince snapped. "Uh... yes." Once they'd gotten a few halls away from their last position, Vegeta quickly pulled Bulma into another room and closed the door until it was only open a crack. That way, he could still hear anyone who might be coming.   
  
The prince turned back to Bulma, who was currently mumbling under her breath as she rubbed her arm, which was already bruising from the grip the Saiyajin had used on it. "Now keep your voice down, woman. How on Earth would you possibly be able to help me in this situation?" Bulma blinked and looked at Vegeta blankly for a moment. "I thought you'd know..." Before the prince could reply, he felt a sudden power surge nearby. It would seem that Kakarotto was ready to fight now. "Stay here, woman!" he snapped before he took off down the hall.   
  
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Vegeta powered up as he ran toward the other Saiyajin's energy. He was close now and was obviously setting up a challenge for him, but he was more than ready. The prince smirked as he turned a corner and spotted Kakarotto standing at the other end of the hall, waiting for him with the same confident smirk set on his face. "I see you're ready to admit defeat." Vegeta mocked as he calmly advanced on the other Saiyajin. However, he knew something wasn't quite right. Not only was Kakarotto acting unusually calm despite the fact he was holding the needle in full sight, he didn't seem to be prepared for a battle. Even though his energy was detectable, it wasn't nearly as high as his was at the moment. A quick attack would have easily penetrated his defenses.   
  
Kakarotto grinned as the prince paused and tried to figure out his motives. "Not quite yet." he finally answered. Vegeta's eyes widened as another power level behind him skyrocketed out of nowhere. Before he could even get a chance to fully turn around to face his new opponent, the needle was knocked out of his hand and rolled across the hall out of reach. "Kuso!!" Vegeta growled angrily and flipped away as the new enemy threw a blinding punch at him, narrowly missing. The prince spun around once he'd landed out of range and finally got his first glimpse of the newcomer... who wasn't a newcomer at all. "Kakarotto?!" Vegeta looked between the two twin Saiyajins who had him surrounded. "Curse that blasted technique!"   
  
The two Kakarotto's both grinned before launching themselves at the flustered prince, each throwing a ki blast toward the other Saiyajin. Vegeta looked back and forth between the two attacks headed straight for him, no longer able to see the owners of the blasts. He knew they were waiting for him to dodge so they could attack him in his blind spot, but he was too experienced to let that little trick be played on him. The prince quickly powered up again to SSJ2 and extended his arms out from his sides. Each of his palms began to glow with a blue light before he launched two of his own attacks to counter those of Kakarotto's. All four blasts collided and exploded violently, leaving large holes in the surrounding walls. Bulma wasn't going to be too happy about that.   
  
Vegeta faded out as Kakarotto attacked him from behind, causing the evil Saiyajin's fist to penetrate his after image. Using the momentary distraction to his advantage, the prince reappeared behind the other Saiyajin and landed a roundhouse kick to his back, sending Kakarotto flying through a hole the previous explosions had created in the walls. Vegeta's victory was short lived as Kakarotto's double suddenly materialized in front of him with an already formed ki attack in his hands. The smirking Saiyajin released the ball of ki at point blank range, hitting the prince directly in the chest with it. Vegeta was thrown through a wall from the momentum of the attack, creating yet another hole in the building's structure. Bulma was definitely going to be mad now.   
  
Vegeta dug his gloved fingers into the floor as he skidded across the room, using the extra contact to flip himself back into the air as Kakarotto attempted to land another punch. The evil Saiyajin growled in frustration as his fist created a crater in the floor instead of the prince, who was now currently preparing his own attack above him. Vegeta's jaw tightened in concentration as he unleashed a barrage of ki attacks at the other Saiyajin, who managed to dodge a large amount of them. However, one after another began to hit the evil Saiyajin, knocking him off balance and leaving time for more attacks to hit their mark. Vegeta smirked in satisfaction as he once again regained the upper hand.   
  
The prince finally put a halt to his attack once he could no longer see his target. The room was nothing but smoking rubble now and he decided to stop before the entire building was brought down around him. Vegeta was just beginning to feel confident about his chances of victory when Kakarotto once again appeared next to him, landing a powerful punch on his jaw. The prince quickly regained control as he was thrown back a little ways and wiped the blood away that now trickled down his chin. His eyes darted from the Kakarotto who had just attacked him to the other Kakarotto that was now rising from the rubble. The two twin Saiyajins quickly re-fused with a small burst of light to ensure they had enough energy to finish the fight. Vegeta quickly glanced back into the hall where the battle had originally started, searching for the syringe he'd need to finally put an end to this.   
  
After a quick scan, the prince spotted the needle and blasted off toward it. Vegeta quickly came to a halt as Kakarotto appeared ahead of him and kicked the needle out of his reach, smirking evilly as he did so. "Shimatta!!" the prince shouted as he watched his key to victory roll once again out of his grasp. Kakarotto grinned and used the small lapse of concentration to land several harsh kicks and punches on the other Saiyajin, slowly pushing him even further away from his target. Vegeta cursed under his breath and returned the blows, but it was obvious who had the advantage now.   
  
Kakarotto withdrew from the barrage of attacks for only a second before he swiftly kicked the prince's feet out from under him. Unable to regain his balance, Vegeta landed with a grunt on his back, just managing to bring his arms in front of his face quickly enough to block another punch thrown by his opponent. The prince's forearms throbbed in pain from the direct it. There was no doubt something was fractured. Things were definitely looking grim for the good side; which was a side Vegeta never thought he'd be on. 'Great! The first time I decide to switch sides, the evil one wins for once!' the prince thought bitterly. He was having great difficulty forming a fist with either of his hands after the attack on his forearms, and that wasn't going to make it any easier to fight back.   
  
Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts as another strong power surge from Kakarotto caught his attention. He gasped when he heard what the other Saiyajin was powering up for. "Kaaaa meeee....haaaaaaaa meeeeee....." Vegeta powered up as best he could, knowing he'd need everything he had to avoid, or at least survive, this attack. "HAAA!!!" the prince gasped and laid flat on the floor as the large blue attack skimmed over him, flying past and exploding on the other side of the hall. The attack had missed him by at least two inches! Vegeta blinked in confusion and sat up to look at Kakarotto, who had a very stunned expression on his face, mixed with a small amount of horror.   
  
Vegeta watched as the evil Saiyajin's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor, revealing a smiling Bulma, who was holding the needle she'd just used to knock Kakarotto out. "Told ya I could help." she boasted as she flipped a few loose strands of hair over her shoulder. Vegeta looked from the woman to the unconscious Saiyajin as he took a deep breath. That had been a close one. For once he was glad Bulma hadn't listened to him about staying put. He almost felt like kissing her.... Almost. "So?" the woman asked as she looked at Kakarotto. "So what?" the prince snapped. He was beginning to realize that he was just saved by a puny earth woman, and he wasn't thrilled about it. "So what now?" she asked impatiently. "So now it's up to Goku." 


	10. Struggle for Control

Kakarotto slowly opened his eyes and blinked away the spots dancing in his vision. He growled angrily and quickly sat up. The Saiyajin was just itching to crack Bulma's skull for the dirty move she'd pulled, and the sooner he took care of her, the sooner he could move on and kill Vegeta. Kakarotto blinked as he scanned the area around him. He was no longer in the destroyed halls of Capsule Corp like he had expected. Instead, he was in a barren wasteland that seemed to stretch on forever in all directions. The sky was black, the grass was dry and brown, and the few trees left standing were bare and broken. He knew this place all too well. This was the place he'd been trapped in for all those years. This place represented the forgotten memories of Goku. A place in his subconscious that the baka didn't even know existed... until now.   
  
"Well, look who decided to join me." Kakarotto jumped up and spun around to face the owner of the familiar voice. Standing before him was Goku, who didn't look at all happy. The evil Saiyajin smirked, despite the fact he was furious with his current situation. In this place, he was vulnerable. He knew there was a huge chance that he could once again be trapped in this death land forever. "What? You aren't enjoying your new accommodations?" Goku folded his arms and frowned as he quickly scanned the wasteland around him. "You're not much of a decorator." Kakarotto chuckled a bit and smiled evilly at his 'twin'. "Well don't worry about that too much. You'll have plenty of time to re-model everything." "Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." Goku muttered as he glared angrily at the other Saiyajin, whose eyes had now narrowed in determination. "I refuse to be locked in this place again! I'm simply reclaiming what is mine and I won't let a baka like you take that from me again!" Kakarotto growled. His ki spiked with each word he spoke as his anger fueled his power. He wasn't going to give up without a fight; which was something Goku was already prepared for. This would be the most important battle of the earth Saiyajin's life, and he wasn't about to lose.   
  
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"So what do you think is going on in there?" Bulma asked as she lifted one of the unconscious Saiyajin's eyelids in curiosity. Vegeta rolled his eyes as the woman lifted the other one as well. "What are you doing, onna?! Do you expect the whole thing to be displayed on his eyes like a television?!" Bulma blinked and folded her arms before glaring at the prince. "No! I was just.... Just... It's too complicated to explain to you!" "Whatever." Vegeta muttered, secretly smirking at the woman's actions. She was quite amusing to watch sometimes.   
  
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The two Saiyajin's faced off as they each powered up. Their hair stood up in an invisible wind before flickering between gold and onyx. With a burst of light that left each Saiyajin temporarily blinded, both warrior's hair flashed into a brilliant golden color and their eyes bled from black to teal. Goku's aurora pulsed around him as he powered up to the next level, casting a golden light over the otherwise dead landscape. Kakarotto's aurora was a dark shade of blue, indicating what kind of person he was. While Goku's inner power was as bright and pure as his heart, Kakarotto's was just as dark and corrupted.   
  
Both Saiyajins stopped powering up at the peak of level two, letting their power once again even out so it could be easily controlled. A brief stare off was all that took place between the Saiyajins before they each launched at each other. Neither wanted to draw this out any longer than necessary, so there was no room for words. The warriors clashed in an explosion of light as they exchanged blows, each striving to gain the upper hand on the other. Kakarotto growled as he landed a punch on Goku's jaw, quickly following with an uppercut to his chin. The Saiyajin's head snapped back from the impact before he delivered his own powerful attack. Goku flipped back away from the evil Saiyajin to prevent getting caught in a fury of attacks. As soon as his foot touched the ground, the Saiyajin launched himself at Kakarotto with a blinding amount of speed, tearing up the ground around him. The evil Saiyajin quickly brought his arms up in front of his face to protect himself from the onslaught of powerful blows he was sure would follow, but the impact never came.   
  
Kakarotto slowly lowered his arms and peered into the empty landscape before him. "Wha..." The Saiyajin gasped as Goku's power level spiked behind him and began to turn to face his opponent. Before he could finish the rotation, Goku landed a roundhouse kick to his left side, then quickly spun around and delivered another kick to his right side. Kakarotto grit his teeth to prevent his pained scream from escaping his throat as he struggled to regain control over the blinding punches he was now being bombarded with. Slowly the evil Saiyajin was pushed back from the onslaught. Every time one punch would hit, another would throw him off balance before he could recover from the previous one. Kakarotto growled in frustration as he opened his eyes and peered through the blur of fists his opponent was showering on him. He could just make out the satisfied smirk on the other's lips before a particularly punishing blow threw him back. Kakarotto skidding to a stop and slowly sat up, coughing up some blood as he did so. The evil Saiyajin grit his teeth as another wave of anger swept over him. He couldn't be beaten again. He had to punish the other warrior for what he'd done. For taking what was rightfully his. And for wanting to take it back once he'd regained it.   
  
Goku gasped in surprise as Kakarotto suddenly screamed and released another wave of energy that lit up the entire area. The Saiyajin raised his arm to protect his eyes as debris from the landscape was thrown his way. Slowly, he could feel himself being pushed backward away from the source of the energy that was rapidly growing in strength and intensity. Seconds later, the light disappeared and the screaming stopped, creating an eerie effect in the air. Before Goku could even lower his arm, he was struck with a bone crushing force. His mouth dropped open in a silent scream as he doubled over Kakarotto's fist, which was embedded right below his rib cage. All air escaped his lungs, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't inhale. He couldn't even move due to the paralyzing pain that was surging throughout his body. The only movement the evil Saiyajin could see from his opponent was the trail of blood that trickled down his chin.   
  
Smirking in satisfaction at the pain he was causing the other Saiyajin, Kakarotto withdrew his fist and watched as the stunned warrior dropped to his knees and coughed up blood, which pooled on the ground beneath him. Before the injured Saiyajin could recover, Kakarotto spun around and delivered a bone crushing kick to the side of Goku's face, sending the Saiyajin tumbling over the barren terrain. Kakarotto's expression remained firm as he watched the other warrior finally skid to a stop some distance away, where he remained unmoving on the ground. If the evil Saiyajin got too cocky, he'd miss that Goku was still in Super Saiyajin form, and might slip up in his false victory. But he was too clever for that. He wasn't going to under-estimate someone who was a part of him, no matter how much that disgusted him.   
  
Kakarotto slowly walked over to the motionless figure, his eyes never leaving the still form. He wasn't sure if the Saiyajin was conscious or not. If he could retain the form of Super Saiyajin while he was sleeping, then surely he could retain it while unconscious too. Kakarotto stopped once he'd reached the other Saiyajin and stared down at him. Goku was covered in blood and it looked as if the last kick he'd received had caused a serious head wound, but he'd been through worse. However, he did appear to be unconscious, and so now was the perfect opportunity to end this once and for all. Kakarotto slowly raised his open palm to the still figure on the ground and concentrated his energy until his hand began to glow with a blue aurora. As much as he'd like to make the other Saiyajin suffer, he thought it was wise to end this quickly before any unexpected surprises presented themselves.   
  
"Goodbye, Goku." Kakarotto pushed the last of his energy into his extended palm and smirked. "Goodbye, Kakarotto." The evil Saiyajin gasped as Goku suddenly grabbed hold of his wrist and planted his foot into Kakarotto's ribcage, tossing the stunned Saiyajin over his head. Goku forced himself to his feet and spun around to face the still tumbling Saiyajin as he brought his hands together. "Kaaaaaa....meeeeee...." Kakarotto grit his teeth and forced himself to stop before jumping up and turning to face Goku, who was surrounded in a familiar blue light as he powered up for his most deadly attack. "haaaaaaaa.....meeeeee." "Kuso! There's no time!" Kakarotto yelled in frustration and began to form his own attack in his palms. Sweat tickled down his brow as he struggled to gather the energy he'd need to counter his opponent's attack. "HAAAAAA!!!!!" The evil Saiyajin's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed in horror as the huge attack hurtled toward him. In an act of desperation, Kakarotto threw his partially formed attack at the Kamehameha wave and hoped for the best. 


	11. Victory is at Hand

Bulma gasped in surprise as blood began to trickle out of the corner of the unconscious Saiyajin's mouth. Every now and then, his body would convulse as if he were being hit and small wounds would appear on his skin, but it didn't make sense. "Vegeta! Why are all these injuries showing up like this?!" The prince folded his arms as he stared at the Saiyajin, deep in thought. "I don't know for sure, but the best explanation I can come up with is the battle going on in Kak--- Goku's mind is so intense that his subconscious thinks that his physical body is involved in the fight as well. That's why these wounds are appearing despite the fact he's not really in a battle." Bulma yelped and jumped away as Goku's body once again convulsed violently and a new wound opened up on his forehead. She watched as crimson liquid flowed over his pale skin. "Well... Are these the hits Goku's taking, or Kakarotto?" "How am I supposed to know?!" Vegeta snapped as he became increasingly annoyed with the woman's constant questioning. "Either way, Goku isn't going to have a body to come back to if this keeps up.   
  
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Goku watched as his Kamehameha wave exploded upon impact, sending a shockwave throughout the area. He was forced to shield his eyes from the light the attack created, not to mention the debris it kicked up. Seconds later, the Saiyajin lowered his arms and peered into the dark landscape. There was now a huge crater where Kakarotto had been standing and a few bare trees were now hosting their own small fires on their branches; but besides that, everything was quiet and unchanged. There were no signs of the evil Saiyajin anywhere. Goku let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and fell back on the ground in exhaustion. It would seem that he'd won, but there was still a problem. The Saiyajin sat back up and looked around in confusion. "Uh... How do I get out of here?"   
  
"You don't." a voice growled from behind him. Goku gasped in surprise and jumped back to his feet to face the owner of the voice. Standing before him was a frowning Kakarotto. His clothes were torn more than they'd been previous to his last attack and his skin was charred and broken in some places, but otherwise, he looked like he was still more than capable of battle. "Pretty sneaky playing possum like that." the evil Saiyajin muttered as he balled his hands into angry fists. "Hold on!" Goku cried. "How'd you avoid my attack? I didn't even see you dodge it!" Kakarotto's expression lightened a bit with an amused smirk. "Who needs to dodge when you can use the instant transmission? After I threw my own attack to give your Kamehameha wave something to hit, I simply transported out of harms way. Of course, I wasn't fast enough to avoid some of the backlash, as you can see." The evil Saiyajin growled as he motioned to a few of his more serious wounds. Goku should have known that Kakarotto could use the same attacks he himself was capable of using, but he was too distracted to remember or even consider that he'd use the instant transmission.   
  
Kakarotto smirked in amusement at the flustered expression on the other Saiyajin's face. "It's not fun to have a victory taken away from you, is it Goku? Now you know how I feel." "Not quite. I don't feel slimy enough for that yet." Goku muttered. The evil Saiyajin chuckled for a moment. "Sticks and stones may break my bones... but I will break yours."   
  
Goku's eyes widened slightly as the other Saiyajin suddenly rushed forward. Without a second to spare, he raised his hands and interlaced his fingers with Kakarotto's. The two identical warriors growled eye to eye as they strained to over power the other, each digging their feet into the ground that was slowly eroding below them. Their kis flared around them and each threatened to incinerate the other as their energy clashed together in a violent display of sparks and quick flashes of lightning that swirled around them. In one quick motion, Goku pulled Kakarotto toward himself instead of pushing him away and threw the other man off balance. He released the Saiyajin's hands and quickly jumped over him as the evil warrior began to fall forward. When the moment was right, Goku delivered a quick kick to the back of Kakarotto's unprotected neck, causing the evil Saiyajin to hit the dirt face first. Goku spun around once he'd landed and attempted an attack on the downed Saiyajin, but Kakarotto quickly rolled to the side at the last second, causing his opponent's fist to embed itself into the dead ground instead of him. Kakarotto grinned at the surprised expression in the other Saiyajin's face before planting his hands behind him on the ground to brace himself as he kicked Goku in the chest with both feet. The unbalanced Saiyajin was thrown backward by the powerful hit. Rather than leave himself vulnerable to another attack, Goku placed his hand on the ground and used the contact to perform a one handed back flip to right himself, gracefully landing on his feet afterward.   
  
"You remind me of tinkerbell when you do those little moves." Kakarotto chuckled as he climbed back to his feet. "Well it's pretty pathetic that you're being beaten by a pixie then." Goku grinned, causing an angry expression to return to the other Saiyajin's face. "If you think you're winning, then you're even dumber than I thought!" Goku snorted before forming two ki attacks in each of his palms. Seconds later, he unleashed a fury of glowing orbs toward his opponent with blinding speed. Kakarotto easily dodged the majority of attacks before turning back to the other Saiyajin with a confused expression on his face. "Are you blind?! Those weren't even close!" Goku smirked and extended his arms out to his sides, his eyes never leaving those of Kakarotto's. "Not blind, but a whole lot smarter than you."   
  
The evil Saiyajin gasped as he realized that all the ki attacks released by his opponent were all currently hovering around him. They weren't even meant to hit him and he was too confident to see through the simple trick! Goku smirked evilly, something he seemed to have picked up from Vegeta, and brought his hands together in one quick motion. Kakarotto screamed in both anger and horror as the ki orbs surrounding him suddenly launched themselves at him with deadly accuracy. There was no way to avoid them. The evil Saiyajin's scream was muffled as he disappeared in a burst of light. What sounded like the largest firework show in the world washed over Goku, forcing him to cover his ears to save himself from going deaf. He might have over done it a little, but he wanted to make sure Kakarotto stayed dead this time. The evil Saiyajin was right about one thing; having a victory taken away from you was not a good feeling. And he wouldn't let it happen again.   
  
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Bulma and Vegeta both blinked in surprise as Goku's eyes slowly opened. For a moment the Saiyajin appeared very confused as he stared at the ceiling, but then he looked over at them and a relieved expression replaced that of the confused one. "Goku? Is that you?" Bulma asked as she slowly edged closer and closer to her trusty broom. The Saiyajin didn't seem to notice as he winced and touched the wound that was still present on his forehead. "Man... Vegeta, were you beating me up while I was unconscious or something?!" The prince opened his mouth to snap an insult before pausing and rubbing his chin in thought. That would've been an amusing past time. He just wished he'd actually thought about that earlier. "No! And it must be you again, Kakarotto, because only you would ask a stupid question like that!" Vegeta snapped. "It's Kakarotto?!" Bulma cried in horror. The woman grabbed the broom from the floor and raised it over her head as she ran at the stunned and confused Saiyajin. "Baka onna!! It's Goku! I'm not going to stop calling him Kakarotto because of this!" The woman gasped and stopped just as the broom was about to hit Goku, who was currently covering his head with his arms. The Saiyajin sighed in relief as she withdrew her 'weapon' and smiled.   
  
"So this means you beat Kakarotto?" she asked. Goku thought for a moment before rubbing the back of his head. "Uh... I don't know." Bulma and Vegeta sweat dropped. "What do you mean, you don't know?!" the prince shouted. "Well... If I'm here I must have beaten him, but I didn't get to see for sure. One minute I was there, the next I was here. But I hit Kakarotto with a pretty powerful attack, so I'm pretty sure I managed to blow him up." Vegeta still didn't look convinced. Bulma stared at Goku blankly before hitting him upside the head with the broom. "Ow!! What'd you do that for?!" the Saiyajin cried as he rubbed his aching skull. "That man killed my son! You better be sure he's dead!" Goku gasped and covered his head as the angry woman once again raised the broom in preparation of another attack. "He's dead! I'm sure, I'm sure!" Bulma looked at the cowering Saiyajin for a moment before dropping the broom and placing her hands on her hips. "Good. Now I think a trip to Namek is in order." 


	12. Back On Track Again... Sorta

TWO WEEKS LATER  
  
  
Bulma took a deep breath as she wiped her forehead on the sleeve of her shirt. She'd just managed to finish the last few adjustments on the spaceship Goku would be using to get to Planet Namek. The Saiyajin could have used his instant transmission to get to the planet, but he used the excuse that the Namek's would need time to gather the dragonballs for him. King Kai had alerted them after all. But Bulma knew that wasn't the real reason for Goku's hesitation. The Saiyajin felt guilty for all that had happened. He felt as if it were actually him who had killed his family and friends, but that wasn't the case, and deep down, he knew it. He'd given revenge to all of Kakarotto's victims, and that was literally all he could do. He was only one man after all.... Well, NOW he was. Bulma smirked as another reason for Goku's stalling came to mind. Perhaps he was afraid of the wrath of ChiChi. The woman could swing a mean frying pan and that was enough to send even Vegeta running for cover. Only time would tell if Goku could avoid the horrors the kitchen utensil could inflict.  
  
  
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Goku landed in front of the large building known as Capsule Corp and slowly made his way around back to take a look at the spaceship Bulma had completed. She'd called him earlier and requested he come over for a crash course on how to operate the ship before his trip. Quite frankly, the Saiyajin didn't like to use the term "crash course" when referring to something like navigating a spaceship.  
  
  
Goku blinked as he looked at the ship that sat in the backyard. It was even bigger than the one Bulma's father had built! "What do you think?" the blue haired woman asked as she trotted over to the awestruck Saiyajin. "Uh... Did you have to make it so big? That makes it easier to run into things, you know..." Bulma blinked up at the ship as she cleaned her hands on a rag she had tucked into her belt. "Well I thought you'd need the extra space to train. Besides, everything is pre-programmed, so there's no need to worry about having to steer this thing or even land it." Goku nodded absently before pausing and looking at the woman in confusion. "Why would I need to train?" Bulma coughed and rubbed her arm. "I dunno. I just figured that you'd want something to do..."   
  
  
"She's afraid you won't be strong enough to fight off that woman of yours." Goku blinked and turned to Vegeta, who was smirking at the two. "What? You really think she's gonna be mad at me?" The prince snorted. "Mad? I think she's going to attempt to inflict some serious bodily harm!" Bulma glared at the other Saiyajin as Goku's face paled slightly. "Vegeta, hush!" she snapped before patting the other Saiyajin on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll understand that it wasn't you who snapped her neck." Goku's eye twitched slightly as he looked at the sweetly smiling woman. She certainly wasn't helping him gain confidence about this trip.  
  
  
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Vegeta and Bulma stared at the sky as Goku took off in the spaceship, leaving a white streak across the sky. "I'll bet you 100,000 zeni that ChiChi nails him with a frying pan within ten minutes of his return." the prince said as he watched the last signs of the ship disappear in the sky. Bulma frowned and folded her arms. "Honestly, Vegeta! She'll get him in about five minutes! You're cheating me out of my money! I'm not a moron, you know!" The two were silent before Vegeta spoke again. "200,000 then?" "Deal!"  
  
  
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Goku fidgeted uncomfortably as he stared out into space. It would be six days before he'd reach Planet Namek. Six days to let his imagination run wild about how the others would react once they were wished back. Six days to curse himself for not destroying all frying pans within a hundred mile radius. He was sure they'd all understand though. But he was also sure things wouldn't be quite the same anymore, which was something he'd have to expect. And that might not be a bad thing either. Maybe everyone would take him more seriously now. Maybe they wouldn't treat him like he was a child like they always had... unless the world needed saving, at least.  
  
  
Goku smiled and sat back in his chair. "This won't be so bad."  
  
  
FLASH FORWARD  
  
  
ChiChi watched as her husband's spaceship slammed back to Earth. She'd been waiting for almost a week after being wished back and she was ready for him. Gohan looked at the frying pan his mother was currently gripping in her hand and edged away a bit. "Remember, mom... It wasn't dad who killed you..." ChiChi glared over at her son then glared back at the spaceship. "I know that perfectly well, but I figure if I hit your father on the head hard enough, Kakarotto might re-emerge. Then I can kill HIM for snapping my neck!" The group sweat dropped and silence was all that followed. Vegeta elbowed Bulma. "Ten minutes." The woman nodded and patted the bag of money she'd brought with her.  
  
  
Goku waited until the ship had come to a stop before jumping up and slowly peeking out one of the windows. He saw everyone standing a little ways off waiting for him and smiled a little. It didn't look like they wanted his blood from what he could see, and that had to be a good thing. The Saiyajin froze when his eyes fell upon ChiChi, who was readjusting her grip on a brand new shiny frying pan. She clutched it so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Goku jumped away from the window and ran back to the control panel. He could already feel his skull throbbing from the onslaught he knew would follow upon stepping out of the spaceship. The Saiyajin thought for a moment before punching in coordinates on the ship's computer before fastening his seatbelt and sitting back with a smile as the ship once again blasted into the sky. He'd decided that a trip to Planet Yardrack was in order. "They taught me the instant transmission, so maybe they'll have other useful techniques for avoiding an angry earth woman..."  
  
  
Everyone watched in silence as the spaceship once again left the Earth's atmosphere. ChiChi glared and raised her frying pan in the air. "You can't run forever!!!" Vegeta frowned and looked over at the bag of money Bulma was holding before smirking and grabbing it from her. "Yoink!" He wasted no time before running off. "HEY!!!" Bulma shouted. The blue haired woman quickly grabbed ChiChi's frying pan before running after the Saiyajin. Once again, the entire group sweat dropped.  
  
  
BACK TO THE PRESENT....  
  
  
Goku rubbed his head as images of a very angry ChiChi once again entered his mind. "Um... Maybe I should train after all..." With that, the Saiyajin turned up the gravity and began his training routines in preparation for the day he'd reunite with his loving family. 


End file.
